The Golden Slytherin
by cm0011
Summary: Struggling with his Godfather's death, Harry is feeling more alone than ever. He comes into Severus Snape's care, and they soon learn that you can't always judge a book by it's cover. What will they realize about each other? How much will they lean on each other in the road ahead of them? AU after OOTP.
1. Reminiscing

**AN: **So this is the first time I am writing a fanfiction, so bare with me, and I'd appreciate any reviews :) I'm not sure how fast I'm going to write these chapters, as I am on summer break now, hopefully that gives me a chance to post them fairly quick! This story will be following fairly canon-style, starting with the summer after Harry's fifth year, although ofcourse there will be some twists in which I will not mention now, or it will ruin the story! :) enjoy!**  
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><p><strong>Chapter 1: Reminiscing <strong>

Three weeks.

Three weeks since he had left the Hogwarts Express at King's Cross Station, doomed to spend a summer with his only living relatives: a sad, selfish bunch christened as the "Dursleys".

Three weeks staying to himself in his room, going over the memories of the battle at the Ministry. Of battling alongside Sirius. Of watching him die...

He shook these thoughts out of his head. It wouldn't do himself any good to just wallow in self-pity. Everyone kept telling him that it wasn't his fault, it could've happened to anyone...but they didn't understand. It didn't. It couldn't. Only Harry Potter was graced (or "cursed", as he liked to think of it) with this strange connection to Voldemort, which allowed him to be able to see into his thoughts and feel his emotions, unconsciously. And being the foolish Gryffindor he was, only he would follow an unclear path that almost lead to his death. Sirius had died protecting him. It seemed like a lot of people were doing that for him.

It just wasn't fair. If it wasn't for that damn prophecy, destining him to be either to be murdered or to be a murderer, he would be able to live a relatively normal life...well, as normal a life as The Boy Who Lived could live. But now, when he tried to look into the future, he could only see the war ahead, and no future behind it. He almost felt like he had only lived to fight this war. That he had been raised to destroy the Dark Lord...he shook his head again, as these thoughts were starting to create this clenching, hopeless feeling in his heart, and he could not afford to be too emotional now.

Thanks to the Orders' confrontation with the Dursleys those very 3 weeks ago about their treatment of Harry during the summer, the family pretty much steered clear of him, except to make him do some chores that they could not bear doing themselves. It helped that Harry had pretty much stood clear of them as well, not wanting to bothered, seething in his own thoughts.

And this was the state he was in when there was a knock on the door, a bright summer morning. Harry was brought out of his thoughts, a little startled, as no one usually visited the Dursleys, except for perhaps Mrs. Figgs occasionally, and Harry smiled in spite of himself, wondering how Vernon and Petuinia would react if they knew that Mrs. Figgs was a Squib, associated with the wizard world, and had been watching over Harry for some time now.

But Harry didn't take too much notice, as he lay down on his bed, his thoughts starting to consume him again, when he heard a voice that was unmistakeably familiar, one that he would probably recognize in his sleep.

"Why hello Petunia, and might I say that you look quite wonderful this morning," Dumbledore's voice wafted up to his room, and Harry sat up in surprise. What was Professor Dumbledore doing here? He had been receiving regular owls from Hermoine, Ron, and quite a few of the Order members, but no one had mentioned that Dumbledore was planning to make a visit.

Harry got out of his bed and walked down the stairs to the living room. When he arrived, he found Dumbledore, Vernon, and Petunia sitting, Dumbledore drinking what looked like tea from a pink teacup, and Vernon and Petunia sitting on the sofa across from him, looking rather annoyed and a little frightened, as they always seemed to feel when they were in the vicinity of a wizard. There were two more teacups that were filled with tea sitting on the table between them, steam rising from them, and figured that these were meant to be for Vernon and Petunia.

The Headmaster turned around and saw Harry standing in the hallway just before the room. "Hello Harry," he said kindly. He gestured to the spot beside him, and Harry went over and took a seat, while Dumbledore conjured another cup of tea for Harry. Harry took it in his arm, reveling in the warmth coming from the tea, and took a sip. He had had a small dinner, as the Dursleys never felt it necessary to properly feed the thin boy, and was grateful for something to put in his stomach.

There was a moment of awkward silence as Dumbledore sipped his tea, seeming unfazed by the tension coming from the Dursley parents. He finally put his cup down and gestured to the two.

"I daresay I must apologize for coming unannounced. I'm sure you ALL must have been surprised by my presence at your doorstep this morning, but I have a matter of discussion that would be better spoken in person than through owl." Dumbledore emphasized the "all", as Vernon and Petunia were glaring dangerously at Harry, as though they believed he kept this visit from them on purpose. As it was, Harry had no idea that the Headmaster would be coming by.

"And what exactly would you like to...discuss with us?" Vernon kept his tone level, as even he couldn't deny the authority that Dumbledore's presence seemed to hold. What power did Dumbledore have, that even mere muggles dared to question him, Harry did not know. But at that point, he was quite grateful for it.

"Well, we would just like to inform you that we would like to take Harry into our care for the rest of the summer," Dumbledore stated calmly. Harry was caught by surprise at Dumbledore's blunt response. As he looked towards his aunt and uncle, Vernon looked like he wanted to throw the cup of tea in Dumbledore's face. He had enough sense to just sit seething to himself though.

"You think you have the sense to just come into my house, and demand to take Harry from us, without any explanation?" Vernon roared, standing up, apparently forgetting to stay calm in front of the Headmaster.

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow, but didn't look fazed. "Now, now, Vernon, let us not jump to any hasty conclusions. If you give me 15 minutes of your time, I will gladly explain to you my reasons. It has come to my attention... that you have not been treating Harry with the utmost love and care that a growing boy like him needs." As he spoke, Vernon started to turn red, until he was close to the colour of a ripe tomato, and Petunia stood up and put a hand to his shoulder, in an attempt to calm him down.

"Are you suggesting that we don't take care of our children?" Vernon stepped forward, the table obstructing him from walking right up to Dumbledore and punching him in the face.

"I am quite sure you are capable of taking care of your own offspring, but Harry is hardly your child is he? I am sure you would be the first to admit that." Dumbledore spoke with a level voice of authority, almost daring Vernon to speak back." Therefore, it seems that you have thrown some of Harry's essential needs out the window, for lack of better words, such as adequate food, clothing, and nurturing love."

As Petunia tried to keep Vernon from strangling Dumbledore, Dumbledore turned to Harry and gave him a bright smile.

"Why Harry, I haven't really greeted you properly yet. How has your summer been? Have you heard from Ron and Hermoine?" Harry almost laughed at Dumbledore's very quick change of subject, and managed a small smile.

"Yeah, they've been sending me owls every couple of days. They've been doing pretty well." He decided not to mention that they've been talking only about small conversational stuff, not wanting to mention anything really serious, especially after what had happened at the Ministry.

"That's very good. I believe Hermoine is on vacation right now, isn't she?" Dumbledore asked, studying Harry.

"Yeah, Ron told me she left at the beginning of the week," Harry confirmed, wondering what his aunt and uncle were making of their little side conversation.

As if Vernon had read Harry's thoughts, he spoke up, "Hello, I believe I am still here!" His voice shook the teacups sitting on the table.

"Yes, I believe you are, what gifted eye sight you have, Vernon," Dumbledore raised an eyebrow when he said this, and Harry barely kept himself from laughing out loud.

Vernon turned an odd shade of violet, and Harry wondered if the man was actually gonna suffocate.

"Fine!" Vernon exclaimed. "Take the bloke! He only causes us problems anyways! God forbid we go through one summer without him causing glass to disappear, my sister to be blown up to the size of a helium balloon, and ordering mad demonic monsters on our family!" He paused, seeming to have run out of breath.

"I am greatly sorry that these unfortunate events have happened to your family, and I can assure you that none of them were Harry's purposeful doing. Sometimes, one's magic is uncontrollable when put in...extreme circumstances," Dumbledore stated, looking at Harry, a bright twinkle in his eye that Harry had come to recognize over the past 5 years: one that appeared when he was pleased about something. This time, Harry gave a real smile, though lasting only for a second once he glanced at his uncle's face. His aunt seemed like she had no idea how to respond, frozen with an expression of shock and fear, although from the presence of Dumbledore or her husband's anger, he was not sure.

Dumbledore then stood up, gesturing to Harry to do the same. "Well, I will be writing to you when Harry is safely transported to where he will be staying for the rest of the summer." He smiled. At the Dursleys. "I do hope you have a wonderful summer."

Before any of them could respond, Dumbledore grabbed onto Harry's hand and the Dursley's sitting room had disappeared in a blink.

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><p>Where they had apparated, Harry didn't know at first. But when the feeling of being squeezed through a tight, suffocating tube had left him, he looked around. He was standing in a little village, in which he could see a small post office in the corner of the street. He walked around, noting the quaint little houses sitting alongside the street as he walked. He knew this place. It was familiar.<p>

He looked at the Headmaster, who seemed to be gazing around the place with an abandoned look in his eyes, as if it was a long lost memory. Harry didn't want to disturb his thoughts, but he had to ask. "Professor...where are we?"

"We're at Godric's Hollow, Harry. It is the place where my house resides." Dumbledore looked at Harry for a second, and then abruptly started to walk along the narrow pathway, causing Harry to need to run to catch up with him.

"You lived here?" Harry was shocked. Now he knew why he recognized this place. This was his home. He may have only been one year old when he had been taken away from it, but no one ever forgot their first home. And he was greatly surprised to learn that Professor Dumbledore used to live here as well.

"Ah yes. It was the place where I spent the greater of my childhood. A lot of good memories stored in this village...and some not so great." Harry wanted to question this revelation, but eventually decided against it. They walked briskly, a chilly wind biting against them, even though it was the middle of the summer. After 5 minutes, Dumbledore stopped suddenly, Harry bumping into Dumbledore from behind. Dumbledore turned around and gave Harry a sad smile.

"I'm sorry Harry, I should have given you further warning," Dumbledore apologized. There was something in the tone of his voice, as if just being at Godric's Hollow caused him some unspoken pain. It was a tone he had heard once before, when Dumbledore had finally revealed the prophecy that had connected Harry and Voldemort, and destined the two to have to face eachother one day, where one would live... and one would die.

Harry followed Dumbledore as he walked towards a house that was made of gray stone. He examined some carvings that were etched into the stone right beside the door. They seemed to be written in a different language Harry could not identify. Harry stared at it while Dumbledore walked up to the handle of the door and muttered a quiet "Alohamora", and unlocked the door. As they stepped inside, Harry chuckled.

"Couldn't a wizard just walk into any muggles house if they chose to, as they can get past their locks with a simple spell?" Harry mused for no reason in particular.

"I believe they could, Harry. However, those alarms that muggles have ingeniously installed into their homes' anti-break-in systems are rather annoying, as I have heard," Dumbledore smiled at this, as they stepped deeper into the house. It looked like it hadn't been entered in for awhile, and the way the Headmaster was gazing around all of it's details, it probably hadn't been. Dumbledore quietly cast a "Lumos" charm and they both walked through the house, examining the dark corners and turned-over chairs. A broken picture frame lay on the floor, the picture still inside, looking yellow from age. It was a picture of a young girl that had quite a resemblance to Professor Dumbledore, yet her eyes were black cold, hopeless.

"Harry," Dumbledore brought Harry out of his thoughts. "Please do make yourself comfortable upstairs, in the room just to the left of the staircase. Call me if you need anything." Harry nodded towards the Professor, and made his way up the staircase, noticing the absence of light from anywhere in the house. He wanted to cast a Lumos charm, yet feared the restriction against underage wizardry, and settled for grasping onto the railing until he made it upstairs and into the room. Once he did, he groped around until he found a light switch, and flicked it on. He didn't take very much in of the room, which looked the same gray as the rest of the house, as he collapsed on the bed that was there. He had other things on his mind.

He was mad. He was still mad. Though he had taken out a large amount of his anger on Professor Dumbledore's possessions in his office, Harry still felt a pent-up bottle of anger rising through him. He had been kept in the dark for so long, and everything had just been thrust upon him at one moment, as if everyone had just waited until the last possible second, wanting to prolong it as long as possible. Yet if they thought keeping all this from Harry as much as possible would have helped him better to cope, it was having just the opposite affect: Harry felt completely overwhelmed, hopeless, and mournful. He had an urge to take the vase that sat on the night table beside him and throw it out the window, but instead stood up and made his way back down the stairs.

Dumbledore was nowhere to be found in the sitting room, so, following just his Gryffindor instinct, he opened the door and took off to the chilly evening outside.

He just walked. And walked. And walked. Away from the house of the man in which he had trusted most. From the man that he believed to be the best and most powerful sorcerer that ever existed. Away from someone he had considered his mentor, even as much as his protector.

In a small corner of his mind, he realized he was being rash, but a voice in his head said he could be spared a rash moment or two. He felt like he certainly deserved it. The Golden Gryffindor could not always be perfect.

He came across a small, deserted playground, and he went over to one of the swings and sat down, seething. It distinctly reminded him off the time he had run away from the Dursleys, the summer before his third year, after blowing his Aunt Marge up. He had been so angry about her insulting his parents, that he had stormed off and come to sit on the sidewalk right in front of the playground at the end of Privet Drive, where the Knight Bus had finally found him and returned him to safety.

But this time, he didn't think he would be taken to a safe haven. And he had run away from someone who had always given him care and hospitality. Harry bit away the feeling of guilt that had started to lodge itself in him. He did not want to feel guilty. He wanted to feel upset, as if his whole life was unfair. For once, he wanted to feel like spoiled, bratty child, thinking that the whole world was doing an injustice to him.

Although he didn't have much time to dredge up these horrible feelings before his scar erupted in pain.

He slid off the slide, holding his hand up to his forehead, trying to breathe while he saw stars in his eyes. He moaned as the blasted scar seemed to pulse with an overwhelming ache that Harry couldn't bear. In his peripheral vision, he saw a shadow pass by, but he didn't seem to care as he lay down on the floor, trying to control the pain that was taking him over.

He faintly heard rapid footsteps in the background, growing louder as the person came closer to him. He barely had time to register the feeling of pressure on his arm as someone grabbed on to him, and he heard a thick crack as they were apparated away.

Unlike the summer before third year, however, Harry didn't know if he was going somewhere safe this time.


	2. A Not So Welcome Discovery

**AN: **I am going to try and update with one chapter every day, or every couple of days, if something comes up. I will be switching between Points of View during this story, in a way that should make sense to you readers. I hope you enjoy the next chapter, and thanks so much for the interest in my story! Any reviews would be appreciated, so I can improve my writing, and any thoughts of the storyline from you guys would be most interesting to hear :D**  
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><p><strong>Chapter 2: A Not-So-Welcome Discovery<strong>

He could feel a soft mattress below him, and a blanket thrown across his body. There was light dancing through his closed eyelids, and he slowly opened them, adjusting to the light. He felt rather hot from the blanket, as the chilly evening had turned into a hot summer morning. He threw the blanket to the side, and remained laying there for a second, trying to recall how the hell he had gotten there. The memories were quite blurry, but after a couple minutes, he recalled how he had rashly left Dumbledore's house, and had landed at the playground just a street down. It took him a couple more minutes to remember how his scar had seared in pain, and someone had grabbed onto his arm and apparated him. Now he stared around the room, worried. Where was he? For all he knew, he could be in a death eater's house, them planning on how to rid of the Potter boy or good. How stupid it was to leave the safety of Dumbledore's house. Although, he though begrudgingly to himself, he wasn't always very good in making right decisions.

He tried to sit up, and then groaned as he felt a sharp pain in side, slowly rolling back into a horizontal position on the bed. The worried look was still on his face, as he was trying to find any sign of the owner of this house in the room.

"Ah Potter, not so brave now, are we?", a deep voice sneered. Harry's face went pale white. Unfortunately, he could also recognize this voice from anywhere, and it made him want to jump right out the window and run for his life.

His potions master appeared at the doorway, giving Harry a smug look. Harry tried to sit up again, and froze as he felt the pain in his side again. He tried not to grimace so Snape wouldn't be able to tell, but Snape saw right through it.

"Don't strain, Potter. You splinched when I apparated you last night, and I had quite an enjoyable time putting you back together." By the look on Snape's face, it didn't seem like he had an enjoyable time at all.

"What-," Harry was still trying to absorb all the information, and Snape rolled his eyes when he saw the confused look on his face.

"How slow are you, Potter?" Snape muttered quietly, and came over to take the blanket that Harry had tossed aside. Harry slightly flinched as Snape came closer to the bed, an act that did not go unnoticed. Snape raised an eyebrow, but did not comment on it.

"So Potter, how did you conveniently end up in the streets of Godric's Hollow in the middle of the summer, when you were supposed to be safely residing at your relative's house?" Snape admonished.

"I didn't run away from the Dursleys!" Harry said at once, trying to prove his innocence. "Professor Dumbledore brought me here and -" Oh. Oops. As Harry saw Snape's smug look, he knew he had said the wrong thing.

"I guess the better question to ask then is, why had you abandoned Professor Dumbledore's hospitality and wandered across the streets unknowingly, making yourself vulnerable to anyone who could have passed you?" Snape crossed his arms, waiting for what excuse the boy could muster.

"Uhm...well..." Harry did not want to admit, to the Potions Master of all people, that he had left the Headmaster because he was _mad_. He had a feeling it wouldn't go well with Snape. "I needed some fresh air."

"Really?" Snape scoffed. "Just for some fresh air? I'm quite assured that you needed that fresh air to let out all of your teen angst, did you not?"

Harry's face flushed in anger and annoyance at that comment. Snape thought he knew everything. Well, he wouldn't give him that satisfaction.

"I don't have _teen angst_." He said the last two words in a clipped tone, which made Snape's face turn murderous.

"You might want to learn to have some respect, Mr. Potter." Snape said slowly, in a dangerous tone, and Harry felt like shrinking back. He never used to be this scared of Snape before, what was wrong with him?

Snape turned around and walked to the door, looking back just to say, "Do you realize that you have probably put Professor Dumbledore in a great state of worry at where you had gone?" He turned on the spot and left.

A little smudge of guilt started up in his chest, and it grew until it overtook him. Snape had set him up with the worst torture ever: the guilt from running away from Dumbledore, when he had taken him away from his horrible guardians into a place where he would be treated like he was loved, was eating away at him.

He tried to sit up, wincing again as the pain in his side hit him, but managed to set himself in a sitting position. He put his head in his hands, a major headache starting to appear, and finding that a lot of his other muscles were sore too. How could he have gotten himself into this mess? Stuck with Snape? Why had Snape been in Godric's Hollow? And WHERE were they anyway? All the questions running through his head made his head ache more. He let out a small whimper, feeling weak and childish but not caring too much at the moment. He would spare the moment, as long as Snape wasn't around to see. He would not appear weak in front of him.

A vial appeared beside his bed. Harry lifted it and took a look at the label. "Strengthening Solution". He didn't know how it got there, and he didn't trust it very much, athough he was feeling the soreness in his muscles much more by the minute. He was starting to wonder whether he had been under the influence of Dreamless Sleep before he had woken up. He was very tempted to take a sip, however he started to put the vial back on the table.

"Drink it, Mr. Potter," Snape's voice creeped on him from another room. "I assure you, if I had wanted to poison you, I would have attempted it already."

Harry rolled his eyes, took the vial again, and drank it in one gulp. He sat waiting for the potion to take effect. He found strength being restored to his body, but at the same time, drowsiness was starting to come over his eyes. He tried to stay awake, not in the mood to go back to sleep again, but his eyes won in the end, and he lay back down on the couch, drifting off to sleep.

He was asleep by the time Snape had come back into the room, taken the vial, and left the room with a sneaky smirk on his face.

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><p>The next time Harry woke up, it was early evening. There was no blanket covering him this time, and the window had been opened, which Harry was thankful for. He sat up, and was pleased to find that the Strengthening potion had done it's job, as his muscles weren't sore anymore. Remembering the potion, he cursed himself. That wretched Snape! He must have laced that potion with Dreamless Sleep as well. He stood up and walked around the room, finally having a chance to really look at it. He could see that it was sportively decorated by a former Slytherin. The colour green was evident all around the room, from the bedsheets, to the Slytherin pendants hanging around the room, to the tint of green in the colour of the wall.<p>

He groaned and sat down, putting his head back in his hands, but this time not because of pain. He had been there how many hours, and he still did not even know where he is. He hated being kept in the dark.

"How are you doing, Harry?" He lifted his head and saw Professor Dumbledore standing by the door, a soft look on his eyes. Harry's heart clenched.

"Hi, Professor. Look...I'm really so - "

"It's alright Harry. I completely understand. You were very frustrated and upset, and I can see why, after what's happened to you quite recently. I took you from the Dursleys because I did think you needed a bit more of a comforting hand during these times." Harry knew Dumbledore was trying to comfort Harry, but it was making him feel a lot worst. Dumbledore was only thinking of Harry, and Harry had blatantly disobeyed him.

"I'm really sorry," Harry said quietly.

Dumbledore smiled. "That's quite alright Harry. Just promise me that you will not worry us like that again. There are many people who care for you Harry; the people who care about you are the ones that don't judge, that will stay behind you no matter what the world may thrust upon them."

Harry pondered these thoughts for a second. "I care about you, Professor."

Dumbledore was still smiling, now a bright twinkle lighting up his eye. "As do I, Harry, as do I. Now come, our Potions Master is awaiting our return to the living room." Dumbledore stood up, and Harry followed reluctantly. He had no notion of seeing Snape, but followed Dumbledore out of the room.

"Professor...where are we?" Harry asked what he had been wondering since he had got there.

"We are at Professor Snape's house, in Spinner's End." Dumbledore nodded towards no one in particular, as they went down the staircase, which was brighter than Dumbledore's, and stepped into a sitting room, that was surrounded by shelves of all different kinds of books. They looked to be in many different languages, muggle and wizard literature alike. Snape was sitting in a chair to the side of the room, a Potions book in his hand. He turned around to look at the pair, and his eyes narrowed as they rested on Harry. The fear that he seemed to feel when he had seen Snape hours earlier had disappeared, with Dumbledore beside him.

"Hello Severus." Harry almost choked at the use of Snape's first name.

"Hello Headmaster, I trust you're doing well?" Severus deep voice passed through Harry like a ghost.

"Very well, just had a little chat with young Harry, here," Dumbledore took Harry's arm and led him to the couch, where they both sat down, facing Snape. "However, there is something I wish to discuss with the both of you. Now, Severus, I know you know of all this already, I just want to relay the information to Harry."

Snape simply nodded and waited for Dumbledore to continue.

"Now Harry, there is the issue now of where you will be staying for the rest of the summer." Dumbledore started.

Harry raised his eyebrows. "I thought I was going to be staying with you, Professor."

Dumbledore smiled sadly. "As much as I would like that, Harry, I'm afraid I will be traveling for much of the rest of the summer, and therefore would not be able to provide you with the adequate care that you need."

Harry was confused. "So who will I be staying with? The Weasleys?" Although it was a bit crowded at the Weasleys, he would have his best friend to hang out with, which would be amazing.

Dumbledore sighed. "It would be unfair to both the Weasleys and yourself, it is very crowded at the moment, and I'm afraid Arthur and Molly are really busy with Order duties. No Harry...you will be staying with Professor Snape for the remainder of the summer."

"WHAT?" Harry blurted without thinking.

"What's wrong, Mr. Potter, do you not enjoy my company?" Snape sneered, but not with as much malice as usual.

Harry didn't know how to answer that, so he settled with a quiet, "Ofcourse not, sir."

"Well!" Dumbledore clapped and stood up. "I think that settles it! I will come by to visit in a couple of days, to check out how things are going. Harry, may I have a word in the next room?"

Harry nodded and stood up, following Dumbledore into the hallway that led to the door.

"Now Harry," Dumbledore started, in a comforting voice, "I know relations between you and Professor Snape have not been very...complimentary these past few years, but I do ask that you try to work out your differences with Professor Snape, as it will help the both of you in the coming year to understand each other better."

Harry opened his mouth to speak, but Dumbledore stopped him.

"Ah, dear boy, you will find out in due time. I have also talked to Severus about this, and he is willing to work out his differences with you as well." Harry almost snorted, knowing that Snape didn't care about working out anything with Harry. But he nodded, trusting Dumbledore that Harry wouldn't get himself killed while living with Snape.

"Remember Harry...I would trust Severus with my life. And I certainly trust him with yours." he gave Harry a knowing look. "Now, why don't you go upstairs and make yourself comfortable, I have brought your trunk up to the room you were sleeping in previously. Have a wonderful summer Harry, and I shall see you soon." Dumbledore grinned and gave Harry a small pat on the shoulder. Harry had started to walk away, when Dumbledore wrapped one arm around his shoulder, in a one-sided hug. Harry noticed that one of Dumbledore's hands was blackened, as if the skin was lifeless, but he didn't take note of it much. Harry knew that Dumbledore had always loved Harry in a certain sort of way, but yet had never remembered Dumbledore actually hugging him, or anyone as a matter of fact. Harry had just known that Dumbledore cared. Harry wrapped his free arm around Dumbledore, and Dumbledore gave him a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder, and then Harry walked upstairs, to his new room for the summer. He grimaced as that thought came into his head, but he trusted Dumbledore, so he would go through with it. As it was, this was going to be an interesting summer.

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><p>"Severus, I must admit that I was surprised with your request," Dumbledore stated, staring at the fire as Snape prepared a pot of tea for the both of them. It was late evening, and darkness had set upon the village. The blinds were open, and the balcony window looked upon the scenery of the street.<p>

"Not much, I would think, as I believe I was one of your first choices of housing for Potter," Snape muttered as he conjured two green teacups and poured some of the golden tea into both of them, adding two creams, two sugars for himself, and stirring it in his hand.

"You are very perceptive, Severus, and might I say correct. And yet, I did not presume that you would personally request to have him stay with you." Dumbledore turned around, smiling as he walked over to the cup of tea still sitting there and added one cream, and 3 sugars. Dumbledore preferred his tea very sweet.

"Well," Snape said quietly as he now walked over to stare at the fireplace, "You know my reasons, Albus. I'm sure I do not need to explain more. I find it more...convenient."

"I agree," Dumbledore said simply. He took his tea, stirring it quietly, and went to stand beside the Potions Master. "Although I suspect there is something else hidden that you wish to keep from me."

Snape scoffed. "With the amount of what you know about me, there is nothing much more to keep hidden from you, Headmaster."

"Just the same," Dumbledore seemed to have an amused look in his eye. "I'm sure you are pleased with the circumstances."

Snape glowered at Dumbledore, and the Headmaster let out a low chuckle.

"Where is Harry, might I ask, Severus?" Dumbledore looked towards the staircase.

"He hasn't come down since he spoke to you Albus, not even during the hour and a half that you left fetching a couple of his belongings that he had forgotten. I imagine the Dursleys must have been overjoyed to see you again at their doorstop."

"Ah well, overjoyed is a bit of an overstatement, I'm afraid." Dumbledore rolled his eyes, which was a first for Severus. "After the accusations of harassment and threatening to call the muggle authorities on my 'sorry arse', I had finally convinced them to sign the release form to allow Harry to stay with another guardian for the remainder of the summer, with the promise that I never step on their doorstep for the rest of the summer."

It was now Severus' turn to chuckle. "Charming bunch of people, aren't they?" Snape looked towards the staircase, curious as to what Harry had been doing for the past 3 hours.

"Well, Severus, people come in all shapes and sizes, and types." Dumbledore went to sit on the sofa. "Unfortunately, Harry was burdened with a not-so-welcoming type."

"Clearly." Snape stayed at the fireplace, lost in his thoughts. The wretched boy had had to face the first 10 years of his life, as well as every summer for the past 4 years, with pathetic guardians. And yet he seemed as pompous as his pampered father was. Sometimes. Sometimes, he saw something else in his green eyes...

"Well, his treatment as a child certainly hasn't gotten to his head." Snape muttered. "Still strutting that Gryffindor bravery of his."

"Ah, yes, much bravery he has. Bravery that has given him friends, a home at Hogwarts, understanding, knowledge, and most of all...trust. If the story has been retold to me correctly, you were the one that Harry turned to during his fifth year when no one else was around to assist him."

Snape froze at this. He remembered the sardonic message Harry had relayed to him while in Professor Umbridge's (a.k.a the Toad's) office just a couple of months ago, notifying him of Harry's suspicions that his Godfather had been taken hostage by the Dark Lord.

"Just because I was the only person left that he knew was in the Order," Snape said quietly.

"I'm sure this was one of the main reasons," Dumbledore reasoned. "However, as I'm sure you would admit, Harry has taken matters into his own hands many times before, and yet..."

"Who knows what goes on through Potter's mind sometimes," Snape shook his head. The comment was not completely connected to what the Headmaster had said, but it was the only thing he could think of saying at the moment.

"Who knows," Dumbledore said, amused, and smiled.

Snape went over to the balcony window, staring out into the dark night. "As it is, I'm sure that this will be an interesting summer."

"Yes, I'm sure it will be." Dumbledore joined Snape at the balcony window, and gazed out through the clear glass. "Maybe it will add some, what's the muggle expression...'kick into your life'."

Dumbledore chuckled at his own joke, as Snape slightly jabbed him in the side, as they both stared out the window, wondering what the world would bring them through the coming summer, and as well, the coming year.


	3. Flashbacks

**AN: **This flashback chapter will turn out to be important in the future, as it will explain and connect a lot of the plot. I apologize if anyone believes it is going too slow, but I like to add detail to the plot, and I also don't want it to be a story I end really quickly. As well, when I picked "Macbeth" as the story which Harry was reading, it was only until I kept writing that I realized how much it had to do with the story. At first, I had essentially picked it because of the witchcraft in the plotline, and I had done this play in English class and understood it very well :) I also added in the citation to the quote in the story, if anyone was interested in looking it up! I hope you enjoy this chapter, any reviews would be much much appreciated! I love hearing what you guys think of the story and any suggestions would be much helpful :) Thank you for the interest so far :D

P.S: Snape is not an easy man to turn soft on anyone, especially Harry. That's all I'm saying. :)

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><p><strong>Chapter 3: Flashbacks<strong>

Harry was laying down in the bed he had been sleeping in earlier, reading a muggle book that he had found on the shelf of books sitting on the side of the wall. It was called "Macbeth", by some author that he had noted was named Shakespeare. The language of the writer was difficult to understand, but it was a version in which translations were provided, as well as some historical commentary of where the story derived from, and of the author himself. He learned that Shakespeare had lived in the late 16th century, and most of his works were written in old Elizabethan English, which is probably why he had a hard time understanding it without the translations. He became quite interested in the story when he had found the presence of witchcraft in the storyline. However, it was a pretty negative portrayal of witches, and he had discovered through the historical commentary that witches were feared at the time, and they were constantly being persecuted by other humans. Harry guffawed at that. Witches being murdered by muggles? He could hardly believe this.

Harry did not know how he was lying down in this foreign bed, reading a book as if this was not unusual at all, being in his despised Professor's house, learning that he would have to reside with the greasy git for the whole summer. He supposed at the moment, he just needed a distraction. He didn't want to think about anything. He just needed to drown his mind in something that would take all other thoughts out of his mind for the time being, and reading did just that. When he read, he entered another world, one where only the story existed and reality didn't. He found it easy to immerse himself in a story and forget about the world around him.

He heard a knock at his door. He muttered, "Come in."

The door opened to reveal Snape, carrying a plate of sandwiches and a glass of juice in his hand. His eyes narrowed as he saw the book in Harry's hand, calmly lying in the bed reading. He had expected to find Harry in some sort of distressed state, as the aspect of living with him for the summer could not be very well pleasing to him at all, and was surprised to see his calm demeanor.

He set the sandwiches and the juice on the nighttable beside the bed, and Harry merely glanced up quickly and said, "Thank you," not wanting to be disturbed. He felt that if he let his concentration leave the book for a second, he wouldn't be able to return to the bliss of ignorance that came from reading.

Snape was curious. "You read Shakespeare?"

Harry shook his head distractedly. "Just found it on your shelf," he murmured quietly. "Mmm...Did you know that muggles used to persecute witches?"

Snape raised his eyebrows. "I'm well aware, having read that particular work of his quite a bit."

Harry nodded, a sad smile coming to his face. "Sad, isn't it? Wonder why the witches could not have easily stopped them..." Harry's voice faded as he became absorbed in his book. Snape wondered whether Potter knew who he was even talking to, as he knew that Harry was much less than respectful whenever he spoke to his Potions Master. But he decided that he'd rather not provoke the boy's more arrogant side, as he had already had quite a day already, and was not in the mood to up with it.

Snape conjured a towel and some toiletries by his bedside. "If you wish to take a shower, which I believe you should, after the day you've had, you may find the necessary toiletries here." Harry merely nodded and Snape turned around and walked out of the room, taking in Harry's lying figure, eyes moving from left to right as he read, and then left down the staircase.

Odd, Snape mused. Since when was the boy so calm? It made Snape feel uneasy, as he was not used to dealing with a respectful Harry. He was much more accustomed to the arrogant twit he always dealt with in class, amused when he could get under Harry's skin and make him boil through his belittlement. Snape wondered how the boy was treated at home. From Albus' description of the Dursleys' reaction to his visit, he didn't think it was all too well. Something flashed back in his mind: a boy, sitting in his room, cauldron on his table, brewing up a new type of potion he was experimenting. A knock on the door. Yelling. It was one of his drunk nights. A large man taking the boy's cauldron and dumping it's contents into the sink. The boy being grabbed by his cuff and thrown into his room. Sitting in the corner of his room, head between his legs, wishing that he could go back to where he truly belonged...

Snape shook his head. Stupid boy, that Potter, he was probably just an arrogant bloke that got on his relative's nerves from time to time. He certainly got on Snape's nerves more than once. He couldn't imagine any Potter living a cruel life.

He heard the plumbing shift as a tap was turned on, and he could feel feet padding towards the washroom. Snape made himself another pot of tea, a muggle variety he had always enjoyed when he was a child, conjuring a cup and pouring some into it, and sitting on his favourite chair, just staring into space, thinking.

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><p>Harry didn't know why he was acting so calm, almost completely ignorant. He felt like he had just given up. Stopped caring. Wasn't it better to feel no emotion at all, than to be upset? Everything would just bounce right off his back, and he wouldn't feel a thing. He did feel pretty filthy though, so he took the toiletries Snape had set on the floor, and went to the washroom to clean himself up. He could tell Snape had noticed something peculiar about his attitude, but at that point, he couldn't care less.<p>

The warm water did wonders to his strengthened yet stiff muscles. He spent ten minutes just soaking in the warm spray, calming any tension left in his body, and soothing him. He felt considerably better as he stepped out of the shower, feeling fresh and clean. He wrapped himself in a towel and went back to his room, finding his trunk laying on the floor. He pulled on an oversized t-shirt of Dudley's that had been handed down to him, and a pair of jeans that were beginning to get too short for him. He sighed and lay back in the bed again, wanting to pick up his book and read but just laying there, staring at the ceiling. Atleast here, he wasn't being bothered by stupid Dudley and the stupid blokes he calls friends, trying to cause him trouble, or by his Aunt and Uncle who would have been yelling at him just for laying down for a minute as he was right now, claiming he was no use if he couldn't do some work.

When Harry was young, he never thought that the treatment they gave him was that bad. He figured that many other children were in the same predicament as him; perhaps the oldest child was always treated the best, while the younger was treated less than fairly. However, as soon as he entered Kindergarten, he soon found that he was the only person who seemed to be treated that way. Every day, the other children would come in happy and excited, ready for the new day. They would run around, play with the many toys that lay in a mess around the room, and all around had a good time. Harry stayed in the corner, sometimes joining in with a game of hopscotch when another child joined him to play, but seldom communicated with anyone. The teachers worried, as they recognized this kind of behavior, coming across quite a few cases over the past years. However, Vernon and Petunia always assured them that the boy was just shy little tyke, liked to keep to himself, and that it was a phase that he would grow out of.

Every day, the children would come to class with a full lunch, and a couple of snacks to fill them a throughout the day. Harry never had a lunch, and always came to school with a small pack of pathetic saltine crackers. Again, the teachers tried to notify his aunt and uncle about this, and again they were "reassured" that the boy was never really hungry in the morning, and that he ate quite a good bit when he was at home. His thin figure quite contradicted that, however, and he always gladly took any food he was offered at school when the other children were eating. There were physical checkups done on all the children one year, and the nurses had discovered that Harry was extremely underweight. Soon enough, the Dursleys were facing charges with children's aid. They started to feed Harry more properly, put some weight on him so that he was up to the required weight that was expected for his age...and then he was transferred schools. The school he was transferred to was a lower-rate school, who paid no attention to Harry's lack of a lunch at school, or that he didn't communicate with anyone in school. The children at this school were crueler too, never inviting him to play, and even making fun of him sometimes behind his back. He stayed to himself for the rest of his elementary school career.

Until he was accepted into Hogwarts.

That was the first time he had real friends. People who loved him, and protected him. And even though his life may seem in much more danger than it was before, he wouldn't trade it for anything.

He remembered that day that he had been in Snape's office, the last Occlumency lesson that they had had together. He remembered that fateful memory, of his own father torturing Snape, unprovoked, a deep loathing between them. He remembered his mother, standing up to James and protecting Snape, only to hear Snape's lash of "I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!" in her face. How had Snape's life been at Hogwarts? He hadn't seemed very popular by the looks of it...

He shook the thoughts out of his head. The last thing he needed was to feel sorry for _Snape_.

He took the Macbeth book from the night table beside him and started to read again. He didn't like the feeling these flashbacks were giving him, and he preferred the unfeeling ignorant state he was in before. It was late night, and Snape hadn't given him any trouble at all. He figured Snape wanted to pretend that Harry wasn't there as much as Harry was. After another hour of reading, he started to nod off, and soon enough, fell asleep with the book on top of him, finding comfort in his slightly conscious state.

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><p>Snape knocked on Harry's door, and upon hearing no answer, he opened the door to find Harry fast asleep, "Macbeth" laying open on top of him. Snape had another plate of sandwiches in his hand, and a glass of milk, but it seemed as Harry had went to sleep without even requesting to eat. Little did he know, that Harry was used to going to bed hungry, and had gotten used to the feeling of hungriness as he went to bed.<p>

Snape set the plate down and picked up the book, intending to put it back on his shelf, but first glanced upon what page it was open to. This was only the beginning of the Second Act, so Harry must have gotten farther than that in the many hours he had spent in this room, but perhaps there was something on this page that had intrigued him, so he returned to it. He read through the page, stopping at a quote he was familiar with:

"Is this a dagger which I see before me,  
>The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee.<br>I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.  
>Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible<br>To feeling as to sight? or art thou but  
>A dagger of the mind, a false creation,<br>Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain? **(2.1.33)** "

Snape had read this play many times in his childhood. It was one of his favourite plays. He felt he connected to it really easily.

Macbeth had been blood-thirsty for power, Snape mused. So blood-thirsty, that it had driven him nearly insane. It caused him to murder many innocent people, people that had done no wrong, because Macbeth had wanted to become king, and did not want anyone to take it away from him. This blood-thirsty craving drove him to the sticky, messy end of his life. Power was more an omen than a grace, Snape thought. Power can turn your whole world upside down, can cause you to forget everything you had valued, just as Macbeth had. Macbeth had been a loyal and respected warrior to the king, until his craving had grasped him. Snape knew all too much about what power could do. Snape knew what he could lose...who he lost...Snape violently shook his head, trying to get his thoughts straight, as his heart had clenched, and his breathing had become very light, from his thoughts.

Macbeth gave everything away because of a _prophecy_.

Snape froze. A prophecy. Who did he know who was having his life turned to bits because of a _prophecy_? Who had lost so much, and so many, because of something he was supposedly destined to, without any control over it? And as well, who was ANOTHER person, who had taken this prophecy and turned it into a blood-curling plan to murder as many people as it took, so the prophecy could not be fulfilled?

He took a long look at Harry, his eyes turning just a tad softer as his eyes came across that scar. As much as he hated Potter...there was something that Snape felt at this moment that could not let him feel as much dislike towards Harry. He knew it was probably temporary, but he did not think much about it at the time.

Tom Riddle had taken a prophecy and turned it into a blood-thirsty plan for power. Snape could only hope that he met the same, sticky end as Macbeth did.


	4. Getting To Know You

**AN:** I had planned out and started to write something completely different for this chapter, but decided to change my mind and leave what I was previously writing until later on :) Enjoy a little bit more of the Harry and Snape you've always known, atleast at the beginning ;) Reviews are always appreciated, that is the best part of me writing this story, it lets me know that you guys out there are reading it, and I love to hear people's thoughts on it! Thanks for the support :D

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><p><strong>Chapter 4: Getting To Know You<strong>

Harry was startled awake by a knock on the door. He groaned and looked a clock that was on the bedside table. 7 AM. He was about to say, "I'll be down, Aunt Petunia!" when he came to realize his surroundings. It was not his little bedroom at the Dursleys house. He remembered that he was at Professor Snape's house. He wiped his eyes, trying to get the sleepiness out of his eyes, as he sat up in his bed and was again caught by the amount of green in the room. He would have to get used to it if he was going to be sleeping in this room for the whole...summer...

"No doddling, Potter," Snape's silky voice slithered to his ear. He was standing at the door, hands crossed across his chest, a smirk on his face.

"Oh I'm so sorry, a little bit early for your liking?" Harry grimaced as Snape's voice made his sleepy head ache. "Well, we need to be getting out to get a few materials for you, as we have the joy of spending the rest of the summer together." His voice was laced with thick sarcasm.

Harry groaned and collapsed back onto his bed. "Later..." he moaned as he tried to get his head to stop aching. He was not one for early mornings.

Snape narrowed his eyes. "Now, Potter, just because we are not at school, do not think that I will go any easier on you." Snape spelled the blinds in, bright morning sunlight pouring in. Harry squeezed his eyes shut, and put his pillow on top of his head to block out the light. When he was at the Dursleys, he would never have tried to go back to sleep, as Petunia surely would've made sure he'd regret it.

"Out. Of. Bed. Don't make use my own means to get you up." When Harry didn't respond, and remained lying down, Snape shook his head, took out his wand, and muttered an incantation under his breath. A bucket of water had appeared in thin air, right above Harry's head, and poured ice-cold water all over Harry. He woke up with a start, gasping as he shivered, and glowered at Snape.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," Snape smirked, turning around briskly and walking out of the room, leaving Harry scrambling to find his towel to wrap around him. What a wonderful start to the summer.

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><p>After running a hot shower to calm his shivering body, he came downstairs, the smell of french toast and eggs calling him. When he entered the kitchen, he saw Snape in a corner of the kitchen, preparing some coffee for himself. He was dressed not in the black morbid teaching robes Harry was used to seeing him in, but in a navy blue nightgown. Harry waited by the kitchen door, not knowing whether to enter it. When he was at the Dursleys, he was never allowed to enter the kitchen unless requested by Petunia, and it was usually just to cook their food. He was forced to eat in an corner of the house where he could not be seen, not as much because his aunt and uncle made him, but because he liked the solitude.<p>

He was also still glowering at Snape behind his back for the un-orthodox way of making him get up this morning.

Snape turned around and saw Harry waiting at the door to the kitchen.

Snape raised his eyebrow. "What are you possibly waiting for, an invitation?" Harry's eyes widened, Snape not realizing how right he was. But he came to the table and sat down, as a plate of breakfast levitated over to him, along with a glass of milk. Harry took a bite out of the french toast, grateful for the sweet taste in his mouth, which helped subside the headache that he had for waking up early.

As Harry took a sip of milk, he watched Snape as he sat down with a cup of coffee and a plate of french toast and eggs. While Harry had taken to making a sandwich with the toast and the eggs, Snape took a fork and knife and cut the eggs into small pieces, eating them little by little, while he took small bites of the french toast every now and then. Snape turned towards Harry, and he averted his eyes away before Snape could notice that he was staring at him.

But Harry wished he had a cup of coffee in his hand, as he wanted something warm for his throat. He had tried coffee once, when none of the Dursleys were home, and he had figured out how to work their coffee maker. He had loved the taste at once, the caffeine giving him a kick as the hot liquid soothed his throat.

"Umm..." Snape turned to look at Harry as he tried to speak. "Can I have some coffee?"

Snape raised his eyebrow again. "You are far too young to have coffee, Potter."

"I'm not young! I'm practically 16!" Harry snapped, then pulled back hastily, realizing who he was speaking to, eyes nervously trying not to look into Snape's, but he could see in his peripheral vision that Snape had frozen, a glassy expression coming over his face.

"Potter...as I happen to be your teacher, and have been since your first year, I think I have the ability to say that you are young. You are still a boy." Harry detected something deeper in his tone, but did comment on it.

"Yes, sir." Harry grumbled and took another bite of his sandwich. "So, where are we going today?"

"We're going into muggle London. Figure you might need some of your own toiletries, and maybe some new clothes, too." Snape gave Harry a once-over, looking disdained at the over-sized, faded sweatshirt and the ripped jeans.

"My clothes are fine," Harry muttered, but really, he didn't believe it at all. He just felt uncomfortable from accepting anything from his hated potions professor.

"You might think so, Potter, but I for one will not have you dressed as if you were a street boy while living under my roof," Snape scoffed and got up, putting his plate in the sink and turning around, noticing that Harry's plate was empty as well, but he had only taken one sip of his milk.

"I will also not have you suffering from malnutrition. Drink your milk," Snape levitated the glass of milk into the air, and led it so close to Harry's face that Harry had no choice but to pluck it out of the air and take another sip, a dark look on his face. Snape was amused.

"When you are finished, go get yourself dressed. Wear something nice," Snape turned away for a second to wash the dishes, and then turned back to see that Harry had not gotten up, a slightly pained and frustrated look on his face.. "What's the matter now, Potter?"

Harry had not gotten up because, truthfully, he didn't have anything nice to wear. Atleast, nothing that he thought would meet the Professor's standards. The Dursleys had never taken him to dinner parties, never bought anything in the least bit proper for special outings, frankly because...they never took him out. They didn't see the need for him to look very proper, as the only places he really ever went were around Privet Drive.

"You have nothing to wear, do you." It was said as a statement, not a question.

"No," Harry said quietly, looking down at the table.

Snape sighed. He waved his hand, muttering a spell Harry did not hear, and a folded pile of clothes, appeared beside him.

"These were my old clothes I used to wear for special outings. Please, do try to keep them in better shape than you do the rest of your clothes," Snape admonished. Harry lifted up one of the articles of clothing that lay there, and saw that it was a dress jacket. He noticed a dress shirt, a tie with a tint of green in it, and a pair of dress pants laying there too. It reminded him of the clothes that Draco Malfoy sometimes wore, and some other Slytherins as well. Harry grimaced, not being able to imagine having to dress like that git.

Snape chuckled as he saw Harry make the connection.

"Yes, Potter..." Snape smirked. "Dress like a Slytherin today." He almost laughed as Harry stalked off away, frustratedly, taking the clothes along with him.

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><p>They had apparated to an abandoned alleyway in the center of muggle London. Snape walked briskly across the alleyway, as if he knew his way around his place, and Harry had to run to keep up. Harry's appearance had been changed, his hair a bit longer, and now sported a dark reddish colour, and his eyes were now a deep ocean blue. Snape had had a little trouble changing his eye colour, staring deep into those bright green ones of Harry's before closing his eyes and saying the spell.<p>

The first place they entered was a shoe store. Harry gave Snape a confused look, wondering why they were shopping for shoes before actual clothes, but Snape waved off his look as they walked around, looking at the various options of shoes. Snape pushed into his hands a pair of dress shoes, which Harry almost threw to the ground, until he saw the look on Snape's face. He begrudgingly sat down and had his shoe size determined and tried on the pair of shoes, earning a curt nod of satisfaction from Snape. Harry had been able to select a couple of pairs of running sneakers as well, and then went to the register to pay for them. It wasn't until they reached the register that Harry had remembered something.

"Oh, damn it! I didn't get any money from Gringotts. Maybe we could just go there and I could get some money quickly..."

"Don't be so daft, Potter," Snape took out his wallet and started to count the amount of bank notes that the clerk at the register requested. Harry opened his mouth to reject, but Snape stopped him.

"No need, Potter. If you really wish to pay me back after, I will not refuse," Snape said simply, and Harry spoke no more. They took the shoes and left the store, walking only a couple of minutes before entering another store, this time a clothing store.

Snape looked over to a pair of teenage boys who were at the dressing room, trying on pants. "Now, I'm warning you now Potter, if you show me any pair of pants that lands halfway down your arse, I will make you walk halfway across London in your underwear, as you would be showing them off anyways."

Harry nodded, chuckling at that comment.

An hour later, Harry had acquired four casual t-shirts, one dress shirt, 3 pairs of jeans, a pair of dress pants, a shirt and pants to wear to bed, some new underwear, and 7 pairs of socks. Again, Snape paid for all the new clothing, this time Harry not disagreeing with Snape's unusual generosity, whether Snape felt forced to buy the stuff for him because he was living in his house for the better part of the summer, or because he chose to.

A couple more stops for toiletries, groceries, and a stop at the muggle apothecary, or what they liked to call it, the "pharmacy", Harry and Snape were finished shopping for the day. They walked around, Harry gazing around at the many different stores, ones that sported electronic gadgets, sporting goods, and from one building, there was music emanating from it, bright lights flashing on the outside, and the slogan "Big Ladies, Big Drinks, Have Some Fun" adorned on it, and the front displayed a big picture of a girl in a bikini, bending down and blowing a kiss. Harry stared at it for a minute before he felt Snape push him along. Harry blushed, and kept walking, but Snape had enough reserve to not comment on it.

They had walked for fifteen minutes before they came across a restaurant, a fancy restaurant at that. Harry now understood why Snape had wanted him to dress nicely. They entered the restaurant and were shown to a table in the corner beside a large window. The waitress handed them both menus and walked away, with a promise that she would be back in a few minutes to take their order. Snape had opened his menu and was examining it's choices, but Harry set down his menu for the moment and looked outside. They had been seated on the upper floor, giving a glorious view of London, the city square with gardens surrounding it, a fountain in the middle, and some jazz band performing on the stage that day. It was a bright morning, the sun shone and he saw little kids playing in the splash pad just beside the city square. It was beautiful.

He was startled out of his thoughts with the sound of someone clearing their throat. Harry turned around and saw Snape glaring at him, and the waitress back, smiling and waiting for his order.

"Oh," Harry said, embarrassed. "I'll have...the Scallop Carbonara." He gestured to a picture of spaghetti and scallops, with bacon wrapped around them. She nodded and then left, apparently already taken Snape's order. Snape gave him a quizzical look. "That was a quick choice," he said curiously.

"Oh, well I've tried it before," Harry said matter-of-factly. "When I was young, the Dursleys took me to a restaurant once, and Dudley had ordered it. Aunt Petunia had let me try one bite, because I had fussed about it and she got irritated. It was really good."

"I can just imagine you making a fuss about something as trivial as that, Potter," Snape said sarcastically, but it was not tainted with as much malice as it would have been.

After ten minutes, the waitress brought the food that they had ordered. Harry looked at Snape's plate. "What did you order?" Harry asked.

"Linguine," Snape said shortly. Harry nodded, and they had started to eat.

It was a quiet meal, but it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. Both seemed to be off in their own worlds. Harry hadn't gone to a lunch like this since he was 6. Harry's eyes crawled over to Snape's plate of food, greedily looking at the spaghetti on Snape's plate. Yes, he was not 6 anymore, but somehow he felt the childish desire to try something off his plate. Harry did not think he was very obvious, but when he looked up, he saw Snape looking at him, and he looked down, embarrassed at this childish desire. Snape rolled his eyes, spared some spaghetti on his fork, and held the fork out to Harry. Harry looked surprised, yet took the fork and ate the spaghetti, savouring it's taste, before returning the fork to Snape. It was a silent action, and none of them said a word, but there was some sort of understanding. They continued to eat their meals, and soon they were done. Just as soon as Harry had taken the last bite of his food, dessert had arrived. Harry's eyes brightened as he saw the chocolate fudge cake slice set in front of him. If there was anything he had cherished about his childhood, it was chocolate. It was a sweet delicacy he didn't get often, but when he did, he was absolutely overjoyed. He ate it excitingly, as Snape watched him, chuckling quietly to himself as he saw Potter devour the slice of cake as if it would run away from him at any second. The way Potter was raised, he probably did think that, Snape mused to himself.

When they had finished eating, and Snape had paid for the bill, they left the restaurant. They stopped in front of the door, Harry wondering what they were going to do next.

"We're going to go to a wizarding part of London, Potter. I need to purchase a few potion ingredients from the apothecary," Snape stated. Harry was starting to notice that Snape had a direct way of speaking. He figured it was something he would have to get used to. They went back to the deserted alleyway, and Harry grabbed onto Snape's hand as they apparated away again.

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><p>The particular part of London that they had apparared to fascinated Harry, as all things that had to do with the magical world he belonged to did. He walked past stores filled with candy stores, stores filled with owls, book stores, piled high with wizarding books of all kinds, along with fine quills, ink and parchment. He found a store that was dedicated to quidditch brooms and supplies. He found a store that could rival Zonko's joke shop, where he found many items that he had never seen before, and that could probably get him expelled if he set them off in school. He chuckled at that thought. Snape just followed Harry around, shaking his head at Harry's child-like excitement, but the sparkle in Harry's eye could not let Snape ruin this for him.<p>

He was especially interested in the store he found that was dedicated to Quidditch brooms and supplies. He glanced in amazement at all the quality-made brooms, brooms that actual Quidditch players used in the leagues, like the Chudley Cannons and the Holyhead Harpies. He asked if he could get a Chudley Cannon shirt for Ron, and promised that he would pay Snape back the money. With the shirt in his hand, he went all around the store, looking at the posters, the dragon-hide gloves that he had to wear when he played Quidditch, open boxes which contained the Quaffle, Bludgers, and Snitch (Harry admired the Golden Snitch, being a Seeker himself) , and more. Snape had to go buy his potion ingredients, so he agreed with Harry that they would meet up later, and after giving Harry some money to pay for the shirt, he turned around and left the store. However, just before opening the door and exited, he turned back to look at Harry, still wandering around in amazement.

His eyes softened at the boy's joy. He lifted his hand, made a cross against his heart, closed his eyes, and said in a soft voice to himself..."My promise, all for you."

Snape opened the door and left the store, his eyes still closed, words sticking onto his heart.

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><p>When Harry had paid for the shirt he had chosen for Ron, he left the building and walked around for a bit. He knew he was supposed to meet Snape in a bit, but he figured, why not do a little exploring? He walked around, examining all the stores, until he came across that stuck out. He entered a store with sign "Walter's Music Emporium" tacked to the top of the door.<p>

When he entered, the first thing he saw were instruments. Instruments of all kinds. Guitars, drums, harps, saxophones, flutes, etc. But the one that intrigued Harry the most was a piano. A beautiful grand piano stood in the middle of the store, and Harry tentatively walked over to it. He sat down on the chair, and flexed his fingers above the keys. He gingerly places his index finger on the Middle X key and pressed down. The sound rung through the store, rung through him. He played a D next and an E, each time pausing once before pressing down on the key. He looked up, and found a piece of sheet music sitting on the mantle above the piano keys. It was an arrangement of the classical song, "Fur Elise". He glanced at the sheet music, placed his fingers in the appropriate position, and started to play, closing his eyes as the music swept him away. He wasn't perfect, but he was quite good at sight-reading, and worked his way through the song.

"Potter." Harry jumped, removing his hands from the keys and turning around, to find Snape standing behind him, surveying him. He didn't know how he could have found him, since he had walked a ways away from the Quidditch supply store, but he figured that if it was Snape, he knew a way. Harry looked nervous, but Snape's stare did not look like an angry one...more of a contemplative look.

"I didn't know you played piano, Potter," Snape said quietly, walking over to Harry and standing beside the bench.

"A little bit," Harry answered just as quietly. "I used to have a neighbour...Mrs. Figgs...and a lot of the time I would go to her house, and she would teach me about the keys and the notes. She taught me how to play some songs, and she said I was a quick learner, that I had a knack for music." He shrugged his shoulders, but Snape could tell that this was something that struck deep for Harry.

"Really, now," Snape said, as he gestured towards harry to move out of the chair, and Harry obliged as he stoof up and Snape sat down. He placed his hands on the keyboard, closed his eyes, and started to play. The song started off with a few quiet, held notes, ones that seemed to dance across the air as they were played. Then the song changed, with a soft, melodious, painful tune, one that made Harry feel calm and soothed. And yet, he could feel the pain in the melody, the heartache that seeped through each note, and he barely noticed when Snape had finished playing.

"I didn't know you played the piano," Harry said, still absorbed in the melody.

"It was one of my favourite past times," Snape sighed, memories coming into his head. He shook his head and stood up, turning to Harry. "I have a piano back at my house, if you wish to use it to play sometimes."

"Really?" Harry did not say anything at first, but then after a moment, Harry gave a small smile to Severus. "Thanks. Can we buy this book too, so I have something to play?"

Snape nodded, his face not betraying any emotion, and yet there was some emotion burning deep inside him. He averted his mind away from it though, as he did not want to think about it.

They both went to the register, payed for the book, and left the store. As they went out of the store and went to one more store before they apparated home, the moment in Walter's Music Emporium had stuck with them, in a way both of them could not comprehend. They were both content to forgetting the moment ever happened, and yet there was something that had touched them, something they could not wave off despite how much they tried to deny. For the time being, however, they treated the instance as if it never happened.

When they got back to Snape's house, after setting all their bags down, Harry taking his belongings and purchases back to his room, and grabbing the piano book, he followed Harry to a room that Harry had not noticed when he first got there. It was a comfy sitting room, this one adorned in the colour of deep maroon, looking strange compared to the green of the rest of the house, and yet it gave comfort. The room was bright and inviting, and in the corner stood an upright piano, a gorgeous black piano, that stood against the wall. Harry stood staring at it in awe.

"Sir..." Harry turned around to look at his professor, as he seemed to be lost in his own thoughts.

"Yes?"

"...could I learn that song you were playing back at Walter's?" Harry asked hesitantly.

Snape thought about it for a second. "I have the sheet music for the song upstairs." He walked upstairs, grabbed them from his room, and handed them to Harry. He nodded to Harry, and left him in the room, where Harry walked over to the piano, sat down, and started to pick through the song.

Snape sat in the living room, watching television, which he rarely did anymore, but he felt he needed a more animated distraction. Harry's piano playing wafted through to the living room, and occasionally Snape's focus would turn away from the TV and towards the room in the distance. His neighbour had been right, Snape thought, as he heard Harry working through the score. He did have quite knack for music, as much as Snape didn't want to admit. He was going through his song with ease. _His song. Their song._ That song meant so much, something Harry would never know. But he believed Harry noticed something about it, that it meant something to his Professor. Snape let himself be absorbed in the music at the times where his mind lost focus of the television. Harry let himself be pulled into the music as well, his fingers playing the melody that Snape had played so gracefully, so effortlessly back at the store. They both became transfixed in the sound of the piano, until Snape had enough sense to whisk him away from it, get him to eat some dinner, and send him up to bed before it got too late.

But the song stayed etched in both of their minds, playing itself over and over, the tune a mesmerizing, hypnotizing lullaby.

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><p><strong>AN:<strong> For people who have watched Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, the song Snape was playing on the piano for Harry in the music store (my vision) is "Lily's Theme". Particularly, I envisioned him playing this version: /watch?v=rEnKGGmUnHo&list=FLu-LUcjKm-JQ_YvouAi3JZQ&index=4 (add the Youtube main URL to the beginning of that link, it is somehow erasing that part whenever I save the file :S) . Credits to the video go completely to **jorg1piano****, **as I am not playing this and do not own this video at all. But it is a beautiful piano rendition of "Lily's Theme" from the movie soundtrack, and the one I envisioned when writing the scene. I found it to be very...fitting, as you can tell by the name, and if you've watched the movie, you will know. Also, in my story, for Snape, this song is a tribute to Lily. Just in case anyone was wondering, or if it gives a better vision of the scene. I was actually listening to this as I was writing the scene :')


	5. Vanished Memories

**AN: **Thanks for all the support throughut the beginning of this story! And thanks to all the constructive reviewers! It helped me notice some stuff about my stories that I couldn't see myself. I apologize for the misleading link in the last chapter, I guess fanfiction does try to prevent links from being posted :S If anyone wants to link to the video, it is called "Lily's theme (Piano) from Harry Potter and the deathly Hallows Part 2 HD" by jorg1piano. Again, I take no credit to the video, just what I envisioned :) As for the beta-readers, I'm actually quite new to , and I have heard of beta-readers, but I actually don't know how they work and how to get one. If someone would like to give me more information on that or help me with it, I'd love the help :D And I'm glad you guys liked the connection with the music! I'm a music nut too, and I have a plan to how important music will be to the both of them ;) It's just something special I wanted to add to the story.

You might also notice the occasional switch between first and last names of characters during the parts that are not DIRECT thoughts or dialogue during this chapter, and probably during some chapters to come. That is just to discern who the thought is coming from, it makes more sense when you read it :)

P.S: The story is still developing. Some stuff in the story may not make sense, or one might wonder why I put them in, but trust me, it is all for a reason. I like to do a lot of foreshadowing :p But if anyone does have any questions relating to some parts in the plot, I will definitely provide a backstory considering it is not something I'm saving for a later chapter. I'm a little new to this, so bear with me :) Enjoy this chapter, reviews are much appreciated! :D

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><p><strong>Chapter 5: Vanished Memories<strong>

_Harry was running. He didn't know where he was going, but he knew that he had to keep going, he had to reach his destination. He was scared to death, not knowing what he was gonna face, only knowing that he had to succeed; he had to win. Defeat was not an option. He ran, and ran. All around him, it was pitch black, except for a few low-lit lamps that allowed him not to fall, much like a dark underground subway station. He ran until he almost bumped into a wall, as the tunnel took a sharp turn to the right. He veered to his right and kept going. After a minute, he came into a large, stone chamber. An eerie quiet lay about the room, and he noticed a familiar sight: a large, stone snake adorned to one of the walls in the room. He knew this room...it was one that was all too familiar..._

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><p>Snape did not like to sleep early. He tended to stay up until after 2:00, reading one of the many books in his extensive library. His father had been an avid reader, and whenever Snape had had a free moment during the summer, he liked to paw through all the literature. When he had inherited the house, he had added to it, but the ones that his father had were still his favourite. As it so happened, he preferred muggle literature over wizarding books. They were much more interesting, as muggles believed that dragons, folklore, and magic were fantasy. It was very interesting to hear about it from their point of view.<p>

However, that night, he heard a sound, as if someone was struggling. He stood up and took his wand out of his robes, walking slowly towards the direction from where the sound was coming from. He discovered that the sound was coming from the room where Harry was sleeping. Snape dashed to the room and hastily opened the door. When he had gotten into the room, he found Harry struggling against his bedsheets, sweat beads across his face and neck, breathing very shortly, as if he was having a hard time of it. Snape came quickly to his bedside, feeling his forehead. He ran a diagnostic spell over Harry. He was fine, physically. He knelt down on his knees, wondering what type of dream Potter could be having. Harry started to shake uncontrollably, and Snape held his shoulders, with a strong grip, so that he wouldn't roll off the bed. He struggled against the solid grip, still wrapped in his dream, and as Snape looked back at his face...he saw a few silent tears fall from his eyes.

Snape stared at this boy, who looked so vulnerable, struggling as if in some great pain, as the tears fell down his cheek. Snape took one of his hands from Harry's shoulders, brought it up to his face, and wiped a tear away with his thumb.

He quickly got up on his feet, and briskly walked to a cupboard in his kitchen, rummaging through the many vials that sat there. He grabbed one with a hazel-coloured potion inside it and dashed back to Harry's room. He knelt back down to Harry's bed, taking the cork off the vial. He put his hand gently under Harry's chin, lifting his head up, and tipping back the potion into his slightly open mouth.

Slowly, Harry's breathing became slower and more even. He struggled less against the sheets, yet still held on to them with a firm grip. His face, that had been scrunched in tenseness, seemed to smooth out. Snape's breathing seemed to slow down a slight bit as well, as he settled Harry back into a more comfortable position, pulling the sheet from his grasp and bringing it off his body, knowing that the boy would be too hot to have the blanket over him. He was relieved with how fast the potion worked, a creation of his very own. It was a variation of a Calming Draught, which was designed to specifically provide peace to a struggling sleeper. He sighed as he stared at the boy, breathing now calm and even.

Snape took his wand back out, touched the tip to Harry's forehead, and extracted a silvery wisp of almost translucent memory. He left the room and want back to his own room, where he pulled his pensieve out of a cupboard and set it down on the table. He tapped the memory into the pensieve, watching the liquid surface ripple as the memory fell into it. Snape took a deep breath and dipped his head into the pensieve. He found himself falling through empty space, until he landed in a round, stone room, dimly lit, with damp floors. He saw the large stone snake, and he gasped as he recognized what room he was in. This was the Chamber of Secrets.

It had been only a few seconds when he saw Harry enter the room. He saw Harry freeze, and slowly look around the room, coming to the same conclusion Snape had come to. He saw Harry walk towards him, and Snape froze, almost wondering if Harry could see him, even though he knew this was impossible. But Snape soon saw what Harry was walking towards.

There was a big, round, glass mirror standing in a corner of the Chamber. Harry was slowly walking towards it, his hand out in front of him tentatively, as he went to touch the surface of the mirror. When he touched it, however, the mirror rippled, as if it was composed of some wispy liquid, and not by smooth glass. Like a pensieve, Snape seemed to notice...

Harry's hand shot back to his side, surprisedly, and his expression became bewildered as he figured out what it was. He seemed to contemplate for a second, as his hand slowly reached back towards the mirror, and then he plunged his hand into the surface.

Suddenly, Snape felt himself falling through thin air, the second time tonight. Shocked, he abruptly landed in a dark forest, by the looks of it. Snape looked around shrewdly, trying to figure out what happened. He walked a couple steps forward, into an opening, and could see the outline of a church in the distance, a hill sitting just past it. He could see two bodies getting up off the ground, looking around, seeming just as confused as Snape had been. He stayed far away from them, even though he knew he could not be seen. It took him a minute to come to the shocked revelation of where he was standing: he was standing in a graveyard.

"Did anyone tell you the cup was a Portkey?", Snape heard one of the boys mutter quietly, and he recognized the voice, startlingly, as a boy who he knew used to attend Hogwarts just a couple years ago, a Hufflepuff known by the name of Cedric Diggory. Snape could not fathom where the hell he was, and why Cedric Diggory was here as well, as he had died a sudden, untimely death two years ago during the third Triwizard Task...Snape gasped as recognition started creeping on him, but he could not bring himself to believe what he was viewing.

"Nope," he heard the other boy say, looking around the dark graveyard. This voice he recognized with extreme clarity, and his recognition grew stronger as he realized the other, shorter boy as none other than Harry Potter. "Is this supposed to be part of the task?"

"I dunno," answered Cedric. "Wands out, d'you reckon?"

"Yeah," Harry said, and they both took out their wands, walking around, looking for any danger that might be lurking in the distance. Snape looked around at their feet, and saw the glowing, Triwizard cup sitting on the floor. Snape felt sick as he forced himself to realize what he was seeing: He must have entered one of Potter's memories...of what truly happened when both Potter and Diggory had grasped the Triwizard cup.

Yet Snape was transfixed as he watched them standing, afraid, and unsure. Then he almost jumped back as he watched Harry keeling over in pain, grasping at his scar, yelling in pain, while Cedric looked over in alarm. He heard footsteps close by, and he heard an inhuman voice hiss, "Kill the spare."

There was a bright green flash, and Cedric's body was thrown back, landing on the ground in a messy heap. He saw Potter, through his pain, gaze into Cedric's eyes, his empty, glass lie eyes now, as he stared at the dead body who now lay beside him.

Suddenly, the scene shifted. Snape found himself in a dark room ihe recognized to be in the Department of Mysteries, and he was startled by a hex that had just been sent past his head. He saw the Order of the Pheonix, battling a hoard of Death Eaters that were on their tail. He saw Tonks in the distance, battling a hooded Death Eater. He heard a cry to his left, "Come on, you can do better than that!" He turned around to see none other than Sirius Black, dodging a series of hexes being shot at him by Bellatrix Lestrange. He was laughing, so confident, happy to be in the battlefield for a change, Snape figured, and Bellatrix kept firing hex after hex at him, until finally, one of her hexes hit him straight in the chest.

A shocked look came across Sirius' face when he was hit, and he slowly fell backwards, backwards into a magical veil, and...disappeared. Snape waited for the cocky man to reappear through the veil, smiling just as ever, but no one came out of the veil, and Bellatrix let out a malicious laugh. Snape almost smirked, as the man had always been one of Snape's worst tormentors, other than James Potter, and finally his cockiness had cause him to find his end...when he saw Harry run out towards veil, shouting Sirius' name. Lupin grabbed him and held him back, as Harry struggled against his grip, yelling that they should go get Sirius, that he had only fallen through the veil, that he would reappear...Harry shouted in anguish, as the scene once again turned black, and Snape found now himself in a bedroom. He saw the red hair, he saw the crib, and he saw the black robes, the white hand, wand out, pointed at her, and his knees weakened as he figured out what memory he was viewing.

He watched, helplessly, his body shaking, as he saw Voldemort enter the room, and Lily standing in front of the crib, hands stretched out, protecting the little baby that lay inside.

"_Stand aside, you silly girl...stand aside, now..."_

"_Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead-"_

"_This is my last warning-"_

"_Not Harry! Please...have mercy...have mercy...Not Harry! Not Harry! Please-I'll do anything-"_

A bright flash of green light blasted out of the outstretched wand, and he heard a piercing scream, as Lily fell to the ground, lifeless, her green eyes no longer sparkling. Snape watched as Voldemort attempted to attack Harry, and stared as Voldemort was reduced to nothingness, the killing curse backfiring, leaving the room empty except for Lily laying helplessly on the ground, and the little boy crying as he saw his mother not responding.

Snape fell to his knees beside Lily, his body shaking uncontrollably now, and reached out his hand to touch her vibrant red hair, only to find that his hand went right through Lily. He stayed on his knees, grief-stricken, as he saw his Lily on the ground, taken away by death, as the scene started to turn swiftly to black again.

Snape felt himself pushed out of the memory, back into the Chamber of secrets. Snape looked towards the mirror that still stood there, seeing Harry had stepped out of the strange mirror pensieve.

He saw Harry fall to the ground on his knees, tears falling down his face.

Sobs were racking Harry's body, as he put his hands over his face and cried, his anguished sobs bouncing around the whole Chamber. Snape stared at Harry, all defences let down, weeping into his hands, sinking to the ground as he grew weak against emotion. Snape, somehow, could feel his pain enunciated through his heart...felt his sorrow, felt his hopelessness...felt his loss of the most important people in his life. Death had taken away so much, and now he was left alone, cowering against the ground, his Gryffindor bravery not evident as he broke down in this lonely Chamber.

Snape lifted his head out of the Pensieve, returning to his bedroom in Spinner's end, emotions racking through him and his mind cluttered. He collapsed back against his bed, head in his hands, trying to compose himself, not used to this feeling of weakness. He had always tried to keep his heart like stone, letting only a few people in, as the more he ever trusted someone, the more vulnerable he knew he became. So he could not explain this sudden feeling of weakness, of sorrow, as he had blocked away such feelings for so long.

He lay back down in his bed, closing his eyes as a memory came back to his mind, a memory from a long time ago...of a better time...a happier time...

_He was sitting at a piano, his hands flowing smoothly on the keys, smiling as the melody soothed him as it always did. It was his favourite song, one that expressed deep emotions, one that struck him every time he played it. He was entering into the climax of the song as he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see Lily's piercing green eyes staring at him, her red hair just grazing his arm. She smiled as his eyes met hers._

"_Can you teach me that?" she said quietly._

"_Ofcourse," he said, as he shifted over in the seat to give her room. She placed her hands on the keys as she tried to pluck out the tune that she had seen Severus playing. She struggled for a minute, not as good as Severus was when it came to playing piano, and Severus stood up, came from behind her, and put his hands on top of hers, as he guided her hands across the piano keys. He helped her play through the whole song, and when they had reached the end, she turned around and grinned at him. "It's beautiful," she whispered._

_Severus smiled back. "It really is," he answered back._

_Lily guided him back to the piano bench, and they faced eachother, Lily taking one of his hands in each of hers._

"_You have to promise me something, Severus. That whatever happens to us, whatever may happen in our lives, whether we stray away from eachother or not, that we will never change. That we'll always be best friends...that nothing will tear us apart. That we will continue to have faith in eachother 'till the very end." Severus face was turned away from her, so Lily lifted one of her hands and tipped his chin up, so that his eyes were looking into her deep green ones, a sparkle in her eyes. "Promise me, Severus."_

_Severus nodded, looking into her eyes, a sparkle starting to shine in his as well, as a grin broke his face. He made a cross against his chest with his hands, and whispered, "You have my promise, Lily...forever, all for you."_

They had been young then...as they say, life changes. They had unfortunately drifted apart later in life, both following different paths of life...but Snape had not given up on his promise. He still lived out his promise, still kept her in his memories...and he knew, some time, somewhere, before her life had been unfairly taken away from her...she had kept out her promise too. Though they might not have spoken very much as they drifted away, he knew that they had both kept their faith...something had just gotten in the way. A mistake that he had made...

He had also realized something. He had never shared that precious song of theirs with anyone but Lily...anyone, until now. He had revealed an intimate moment of his life with none other than Harry Potter, and it had felt so natural, too. Maybe because he could see Lily again, revealed in those deep green eyes of his. He remembered her, he could never forget her...

He fell asleep with the song etching in his mind, the soft melody replaying in his head until he drifted off into a fitful slumber.

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><p><strong>AN:<strong> I tried to stay true to the actual books when writing the memories from Harry's dream, such as during Sirius' death, as it was portrayed differently in the movie than in the book. You'll notice some of the dialogue in the memory scene is copied right out of their respectful scenes in the Harry Potter series, as well, and that's just to make it so that Snape is viewing the exact things that happened during those events. I claim no credit to that :)


	6. A Check Up

**AN:** Again, so sorry for the delay, been busy for the past few days, haven't gotten a real chance to sit and write continuously. Now, this chapter and the next chapter are connected. I considered putting them all into one long chapter, but I decided separating them would be better :) So if this one seems a little lacking or cut-off, it's because the next chapter will have more to add to this, much more (angst warning for the next chapter) ;) Hope you guys enjoy the next chapter, I'd love to hear your thoughts! :D

P.S: In this story, I know I said I would follow canon as much as possible, but I am leaving out the fact that Wormtail was assigned to Professor Snape to serve him during that summer. It just doesn't fit in to the story. It's a small change. Just if anyone was wondering :)

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><p><strong>Chapter 6: A Check-Up<strong>

Harry awoke the next morning to a bright sunny morning, and a foul taste in his mouth. He coughed, remnants of some type of potion stuck to his throat. He was still too sleepy to care about when he had drunk such a potion, but he shivered as he remembered the horrible nightmare he had had last night. He did not know what caused him to relive those horrid memories...perhaps it was the song that he had been playing last night, the song that struck so deeply to him, and seemed to replay in his mind during those last moments before he had drifted off to sleep.

Harry heard a knock at his bedroom door. "Time to get up, Potter, and no dawdling, Professor Dumbledore will be coming by in an hour," He heard Professor Snape's voice drawl through the open crack in the door.

Harry raised his eyebrow, though Snape could not see. "What's Professor Dumbledore coming here for?" Although he wouldn't admit it to Snape, he was quite glad of the pleasant surprise that Dumbledore was coming to visit, as he was craving another companion other than the eerie Potions Master. Though, they had had not too bad of a time yesterday, it was still something strange to get used to.

He heard a clicking sound behind the door and heard Snape sigh. "You can ask questions later, just get dressed in one of the new outfits you bought yesterday." He heard footsteps as Snape walked away from the door, to the kitchen most likely. Harry sighed as he stood up and rummaged through the new clothes he had bought the day before, and chose one of the more dressier shirts, knowing Snape would probably not approve of his casual t-shirts, given the Headmaster's visit. Though he settled for a pair of jeans with the shirt in the end. He went to the bathroom to brush his teeth, spending a few minutes getting the bad taste out of his mouth. This brought back his curiosity of what could have possibly left this taste in his mouth. The last think he had drunk before going to bed was a glass of orange juice, which Snape had given to him after he had been whisked away from the piano.

When he walked into the kitchen, dressed and washed up, he found a plate of sausages, bacon and eggs on the table, steam rising up from it, along with a glass mug beside his breakfast. He still felt some sort of inclination to wait until he was invited into the kitchen to go sit, but the smell of the food wafting up to his nose broke his resolve, and he walked into the kitchen and tentatively sat down in the seat where the food lay, and took a bite out of one of the sausages. He picked up his mug, expecting to tip cold milk back into his mouth, he was surprised when he almost burned himself at the mug's touch. He peered inside and found coffee sitting in the hot mug.

Harry was confused. He didn't think it Snape's nature to spoil someone, especially Harry, as he noticed the very hearty breakfast he was eating as well. Harry decided to take it as a good sign, and took a well-needed sip of coffee as Snape came to sit down at the table beside him, plate of breakfast and cup with him as well. They sat in silence, both eating their food, when Harry remembered the thing that had been bugging him, and hesitantly, Harry said, "Sir?"

Snape turned his head towards Harry, raising an eyebrow.

"I was just wondering, Sir...when I woke up this morning, there was this really strange taste in my mouth, as if I'd drank some type of potion..." His voice wavered off, seeing the look of recognition in Snape's eyes, and waited for the answer to his unfinished question.

Snape seemed to hesitate himself as he tried to formulate an answer to the question. "Well...it seems that I found you last night having an unpleasant dream, so I made the decision to give you a Calming Draught to help your mind come to peace."

"Oh," Harry's face flushed, as he remembered the dream that he had last night. What had he been doing in his sleep last night? Yelling? Crying? Harry did not want to think about it, and thankfully, Snape seemed uncomfortable with the subject as well, so it was quickly dropped.

They ate the rest of their meal in a continued silence, one that felt awkward, yet peaceful at the same time to Harry. Harry took a sip of his coffee, enjoying the warmth it brought as It went down his throat. Snape finished his meal before Harry, and Harry watched as he got up and walked towards the sink, placed the dish into the basin, and turned on the top, grabbing a sponge and starting to wash the dishes. It seemed so...normal. So Muggle-like. Like the times he had watched his own aunt hand-wash the dishes. He knew their was an easier way to complete this chore, with magic, as he had seen it done many times at the Burrow, where the sponge would magically scrub the dish all on it's own, and yet Snape was standing there, scrubbing each dish with his own hand, rinsing it, and laying it to dry on the plate-holder.

Harry finished his breakfast soon after, and he walked up to the sink and placed his plate and mug into the sink. Harry stood there, unsure of what to do next.

Snape turned to look at Harry. "Is this what you have chosen for the Headmaster to see you in?" He said disdainfully, checking Harry from top to bottom.

"Do you not _approve_?" Harry said, with a bit of sarcasm, as he looked his outfit over.

Harry saw something like recognition in Snape's face, but it had disappeared as swiftly as it came.

"It will have to do," Snape waved off lazily. "You may sit in the room next door while waiting for the Headmaster to arrive," Snape said simply, and Harry didn't argue as he went through the doorway that led to the sitting room right beside the kitchen. He sat down on the sofa, and looked around the room, recognizing the extensive multitude of books that Snape owned, which he had seen the first day he had arrived at Spinner's End.

Snape sure loved to read, Harry mused, as he looked at all the books that filled the shelves. He noticed that in a corner, seeming out of place with the rest of the room, sat a television set, an old kind by the looks of it. Harry found a remote control sitting beside him, and he took it and pressed the power button. The TV came to life, bright visuals and crisp audio coming from the small piece of equipment. A game show was being played on the channel that the TV had last been left on. Well, it certainly worked, Harry discovered. There was a strange feeling at discovering the television set, but it took him a minute to place it: the fact that there was a TV in Snape's house just added to the feeling that this house was so...Muggle-like. He could not imagine a wizard sitting down after work, watching television. As well, he distinctly remembered Hermoine telling him at one point that muggle appliances couldn't operate in the magical world, as there was too much magical interference. He never really thought about the difference between the muggle and the wizard world until now; he had unconsciously repressed much of his muggle life, feeling after 5 years not as if he was introduced to a new, strange magical world anymore, but as if he had been living in a strange world before, now feeling as if he was home. When Snape returned to the living room, he found Harry sitting on the sofa, flipping through television channels. He cleared his throat loudly, and watched, amused, as Harry jumped, dropping the remote, looking guilty for opening the TV.

"You discovered my television set?" Snape questioned.

"Ahh, yeah, sorry sir...why does the television work?" Harry blurted out.

"I beg your pardon?" Snape said, surprised at the unexpected question.

"Why does the television work...I've heard that muggle appliances don't work in the wizard world..."

Snape suddenly understood. "Well, this village isn't entirely wizard-only, now is it, Potter? It is one of those villages where muggles and wizards co-exist, so yes, muggle appliances will work here." He turned around to the fireplace, which had started to glow faintly. "It looks like Professor Dumbledore is here." Dismissing the subject quite abruptly, he walked towards the fireplace, where Harry saw a bright flash of green light, and suddenly found Professor Dumbledore walking out of the fireplace, brushing ashes off of his robes, a bright smile on his face as always.

"Well, hello my boys! How are you both doing today?"

"Fine, sir," Harry answered, looking over at Snape, who just nodded curtly.

"That is good to hear," Dumbledore said gladly. He went over to the sofa, and sat down beside Harry. "So tell me, how have things been around here?"

Harry did not answer right away. If he was being honest with himself, he didn't actually know how things have been. He felt like he was outside himself, living in a sort of twisted dream. Harry realized that the last couple days, even his outing yesterday, had seemed like a bit of a faze, as if his mind hadn't been totally inside his head since he got here. Snape and Harry had barely seemed to "talk" during the past two days, which suited them both perfectly for the moment.

When Harry did not provide an answer right away, Snape spoke up. "Things have been going presumably as planned."

"As planned?" Harry said incredulously. "That's wonderful Severus!" Dumbledore said, ignoring Harry's comment. "I told you that there would be no problems at all with this, it is a wonderful location."

Harry was extremely confused, yet he didn't know whether to voice it yet. Harry thought about speaking up, and Snape shot him a glare, as if he had known that Harry had wanted to say something, and Harry's words stuck on his tongue.

Yet Dumbledore turned around, seeing Harry's confusion. He smiled sadly. "I'm sorry Harry, you must be very confused. However, there are a couple of more pressing matters we must discuss first. Now Harry, I'd like to talk about that night where you ran away from my house." Harry froze, a ball of guilt starting to build in his chest, when he remembered the night where he had disobeyed Dumbledore's orders and purposely ran away from his house in Godric's Hollow. It was the reason he was now stuck at Snape's house...or so he thought, as of two minutes ago.

"Don't worry Harry, I do not hold you responsible for your actions that night," Dumbledore said with a comforting smile. There was a "tsk" beside him, as he saw Snape roll his eyes, but Dumbledore looked at him for a second, and Snape resigned himself back into his seat. "But I do want to know what precisely happened before Professor Snape apparated you here. Do you remember what happened that night, Harry?"

Harry stopped to think. He had remembered running to the abandoned park...sitting on the swing set...his scar bursting in pain...

"Oh!" Harry exclaimed, and both Snape and Dumbledore looked at him with a surprised expression. "My scar," Harry explained quickly. "It was hurting a couple seconds before Snape came."

Snape had a speculative expression on his face. "I think that's a bit of an understatement. You were about screaming in pain when I came to your aid."

"Ahh...yeah, I guess so," Harry said, embarrassed.

"Anything else, Harry?" Dumbledore said calmly, prodding him on.

Harry continued to trace his steps back. His scar bursting in pain...a shadow in the distance...Snape's hand on his arm...wait a second. A shadow in the distance.

"I think...I think I saw something," Harry said slowly, looking towards the two Professors. "In the distance. Just a shadow, but...I know I saw it."

"I see," Dumbledore said, his face looking a little troubled. He stood up, and started pacing around the room, Harry watching him, more confused than ever. What was going on? What were they keeping from him? "Now Harry, I'm a firm believer in letting people know information that is important to them, so I will not keep something like this from you," Dumbledore spoke in a tone more stern than Harry had ever heard him speak in. "But first, I must ask you this: Do you think there is any connection that can be made from these two events?"

Harry didn't respond for a second, but then shook his head and tried to focus. His scar usually hurt whenever Voldemort was feeling a strong burst of emotion...or whenever he was near...

Suddenly, Harry felt sick.

"He...he was there, wasn't he?" Harry 's breath was short. "Voldemort?"

He saw Snape flinch at the use of the Dark Lord's name, but Dumbledore just nodded.

"But how could he have known that I was in Godric's Hollow?" Harry exclaimed.

"That, I am not sure Harry. We can only be thankful that Professor Snape was there in time to take you to safety."

"But..." Harry had so many questions to ask. "Why was Snape in Godric's Hollow in the first place?"

Snape scowled, and opened his mouth, about to call Harry out on his disrespectful remark, but Dumbledore jumped in, "It's alright Severus, it's a very valid question. Severus was actually in Godric's Hollow on my behalf. I had asked him to come over as I had something important to discuss with him." The fact that Dumbledore did not mention what it was that they were to discuss, told Harry that it probably would not be wise to ask.

"Do you think Voldemort was looking for me?" Harry asked Dumbledore.

Dumbledore sighed. "I'm not too sure, Harry. What I am sure of, is that he will be trying to lay low for awhile, now that he's been discovered. People are expecting him to come out of nowhere, to make a comeback in a week. If I know Tom Riddle, he will take this very slowly."

Harry gulped. "Well that's...comforting."

Dumbledore gave Harry a comforting pat. "Don't worry Harry, you are quite safe here. You be well protected her from Voldemort."

But will I be protected from the wrath of Snape, Harry thought, but did not say out loud.

Snape suddenly stiffened in his seat. Both Dumbledore and Harry turned, and watched Snape try to compose himself, clearing his throat, and said, "Headmaster? May I please speak to you in the kitchen for a moment?"

"Ofcourse Severus," Dumbledore and Snape stood up together and started watching towards the kitchen. Harry was about to ask what was going on, when Snape turned around and gave Harry a level look, and yet again, Harry kept his thoughts to himself. It was as if Snape could read his mind...until Harry remembered that as far as Snape goes, he very well could.

He sat, frustrated, in the living room as Dumbledore and Snape conversed in the kitchen. Harry desperately wanted to know what was happening. He didn't have to wait too long though. After a couple of minutes, Dumbledore swiftly entered the living room, and went over to the fireplace, grabbing some floo powder.

"Sir!" Harry blurted out and Dumbledore turned to look at him. "Where are you going?" Harry did not want Dumbledore to leave yet.

"I won't be gone for very long, my boy. I shall see you very soon," Dumbledore dropped the floo powder back into the pot that sat on top of the fireplace, and walked over to Harry, kneeling beside him, and taking a hand in his. "Listen to Severus, Harry. You must trust me on this. He will keep you safe." Harry nodded absently as Dumbledore gave him a weak smile, then walked quickly up to the fireplace grabbed some floo powder, and as soon as Harry could blink, he was gone.

"Get your cloak." Snape had appeared back in the living room, and gave Harry a serious look.

"What?" Things were moving too fast for Harry.

"Your invisibility cloak. Grab it from your room. Now!" Snape almost shouted, and Harry hurriedly got off the couch, ran to his room, grabbed the cloak from his suitcase, and ran back to the sitting room.

Snape had his wand at his hand, and he came up to Harry. "Now, I'm going to put a Disillusionment Charm on you, and then for extra measure, you will wear your cloak. You must not make a sound. There is no time for questions. Understood?" Harry nodded again, feeling like a puppet, as Snape muttered an incantation and rapped Harry on the head with his wand. He felt like a cool liquid was pouring all over him, and in a matter of seconds, he was completely transparent, body matching the room he was in perfectly. He wrapped the cloak around him for the extra effect.

"Now go to your room!" Snape said, giving Harry a push, making Harry stumble as he hurried to his room. At that point, he heard a knock at the door. He entered his room, but stood right by the door, head peering across the corner into the small sitting room. Snape went over to the door to open it. Harry heard the door unlatch, and a voice broke out of the silence, one that Harry had heard before. "Hello, Severus."

"Ah, why hello Narcissa...Bellatrix."


	7. Misunderstood

**AN:** Ahh I must correct myself now. This scene is going to be split into three chapters now, this being the second one. Just turned out too long, and the end of this chapter felt like a good place to stop for now :) This is where some of the real angst starts, and both Snape and Harry are jostled out of the haze they have both been in, and must really face eachother and realize what situation they are both in. Although I must admit that I think the next chapter will be the most intense part. Reminder, I have left Wormtail's presence in this part of Half-Blood Prince out, as it didn't fit with the story; otherwise Harry would have never been able to stay at Snape's. Hope you enjoy ;) Reviews always appreciated! :D

**Disclaimer:** I do not take any credit for any of the dialogue taken from the Half-Blood Prince chapter "Spinner's End". It all belongs to J.K. Rowling. I simply used parts of dialogue from the book because I wanted to play out the same scene from Harry's point of view, and I wanted to write my own interpretation of it as well, so you will find some same, some similar, and some different things in this chapter :)

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><p><strong>Chapter 7: Misunderstood<strong>

Harry's eyes widened as he watched the two witches walk into the room, coats wet from the rain that had been pouring outside, unnoticed from the inside of the house.

"What a pleasant surprise." Snape said gestured towards the sofa, and Narcissa went over and sat down. However, Bellatrix remained standing, searching the room skeptically, and Snape dismissed it as he went and sat down in his favourite chair.

"So, what can I do for you?" Snape directed the question towards Narcissa.

"We...we are alone, aren't we?" Harry heard Narcissa say nervously.

"Yes, of course," Snape said, and as if reacting to that comment, Harry shrunk back against the door, but still kept his view on the sitting room. He saw Snape wave his wand, conjuring three glasses of elf-made wine on a tray, and picked up one, handing it to Narcissa. He looked at Bellatrix and smirked.

"Ahh, Bella, please have some wine."

Bellatrix scowled at Snape, but took the glass, as she watched Snape take his own glass in his hand.

"The Dark Lord," he said, raising his glass and draining it. Harry stepped back, surprised, as he watched the other two witches do the same, draining their glasses as well. Did he just toast the Dark Lord?

As Snape refilled their glasses, Narcissa spoke up. "Severus, I'm sorry to come here like this, but I had to see you. I think you are the only one who can help me." Her voice shook at the end, and she took a breath, trying to make her voice even.

Severus slowly nodded, waiting for her to continue. Her voice trembled, as the glass in her hands slightly shook.

"Severus, I know I ought not to be here. I have been told to say nothing to anyone, but-"

"Then you ought to hold your tongue!" Harry almost jumped as he heard Bellatrix's harsh voice spit out venomously. "Particularly in present company!"

"Present company?" Harry heard Snape repeat sardonically. "And what am I to understand by that, Bellatrix?"

"That I don't trust you Snape, as you very well know!" Harry saw Bellatrix turn on Snape, her face conveying the emotions he heard in her voice. Disloyalty. Hatred. And Harry could see why. Snape had allied with one of Voldemort's greatest enemies, Dumbledore, and had protected Harry on numerous ocassions, as much as Harry hated to admit. There was ample reason for Bellatrix not to trust Snape.

Snape chuckled softly, to Bellatrix's bewilderment. He was afraid Bellatrix would lose her composure and start firing hexes at Snape, which she was not uncapable of, as that was what she had done to Sirius before he died...Harry shook the memory from his head in an instant, leaning a little closer to hear their conversation.

"My apologies, Narcissa, but I believe we should let your dear sister speak what's on her mind, she seems very anxious to. Go on Bella..." he said in a soft voice. "Why is it that you do not trust me?"

Snape's voice seemed like a soft hiss, like a slithering snake, and Harry felt a touch of anxiety.

"A hundred reasons!" Bellatrix threw her hands up in the air, her wine sloshing in her glass. "Where were you when the Dark Lord fell? Why did you never try to find him, like many of us did? What have you been doing all these years, snuggled in Dumbledore's cozy home? Why did you not return automatically when the Dark Lord was reborn? ((Where were you when we were fighting against a hoard of Order members a month ago at the ministry?)) And why, Snape, is Harry Potter still alive, when you have had him at your mercy for five year?"

Harry felt an immeasurable amount of disgust toward Bellatrix. It took him all his strength not to take out his wand and curse her into oblivion, the payback she deserved for murdering his godfather. There was a moment of silence, as Snape processed the accusations that had been thrust towards him.

"Before I answer you Bella – and don't think I do not know how you speak of me behind my back, how you spread treacherous rumours about me, to the other people that doubt my loyalty so!" Harry held his breath as Snape spoke. "But, let me ask you this: Do you really think I would be sitting here, speaking to you at this moment, if the Dark Lord had thought that I had truly turned away from him?"

Bellatrix hesitated for a moment. "I know he might believe you...but..."

"Why, Bella, to be honest, I'm quite honoured that you would believe that I would be skilled enough to fool the greatest wizard of all the time, the most accomplished Legilimens that has ever grazed this planet," Snape smirked as he watched Bellatrix scramble for a retort.

Harry, in the meanwhile, was scrambling his thoughts himself. Snape was speaking as if he...cherished Voldemort. Thought of him as the greatest wizard of all time...

Snape settled back into his seat, taking a sip of his drink. "Where was I when the Dark Lord fell? I was where he had ordered me, taking up a post at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which, as I'm sure you would know, he had wanted to me take up, as it was my job to spy on Albus Dumbledore."

Spy...? Harry was bewildered.

Bellatrix just nodded, her mouth drawn in a thin line, seeming determined to see her way through Snape's explanation without interrupting.

"Why did I not go search for him? Sadly, as this was my greatest downfall for the past 13 years...I believed he was dead, like many other Death Eaters. I regret it deeply, yet if the Dark Lord had not forgiven all those who had thought him finished, he would not have many followers left."

"He'd have me!" Bella shouted, forgetting not to interrupt. "I searched for him, I never gave up on him, I went to Azkaban for him, for pete's sake!"

"I admire you for that gesture, dear Bella, though I'm not sure how much use you were to him in prison..."

"How dare you!" Bellatrix took a step towards Snape. "As I sat rotting in that hell of a prison for years, you enjoyed all the luxury that Dumbledore could offer you! And if you really thought him dead, Severus, than why did you stay all these years? Trying to play out the stakes in your favour, aren't you?"

"Why I stayed, Bellatrix, is because I much preferred the home given to me at Hogwarts than a musty cell in Azkaban. And because of this, I have now sixteen years of information to provide to the worthy Dark Lord. As for you... I'm sure he is very interested to know how horrible Azkaban is..."

Harry saw Bellatrix draw her wand, seeming to reach her breaking point, but Narcissa hissed, "Bella!" and put her hand in front of her sister, leaving it there until she slowly drew back her wand, but did not put it back in her robes.

"I do apologize Bella, that was inappropriate of me to say," Snape said in a sincere tone, but Bellatrix didn't seem to accept his apology.

"So what is this useful information that you have provided for the Dark Lord?" Bellatrix said sarcastically.

"What I have discovered is between me and the Dark Lord. If the Dark Lord does not wish to share it with you..."

"He shares everything with me!" Bellatrix said incredulously. "We have just been at a sort of...disagreement after the Ministry incident..."

"Exactly my point. It would be a betrayal to the Dark Lord if I revealed the information I have shared with him to you." Bellatrix made a disgusted noise, but did not pursue the subject further.

"So Dumbledore has not suspected you at all? Are you seriously telling me that Dumbledore has bought your pathetic story about turning away from the Dark Lord and wanting to play teacher so welcomingly?"

"I have played my part well," said Snape. "And you overlook Dumbledore's greatest weakness: he has to believe the best of people. I spun him a tale of deepest remorse when I joined his staff, fresh from my Death Eater days, and he embraced me with open arms-though, as I say, never allowing me nearer the Dark Arts than he could help. Dumbledore has been a great wizard-oh yes, he has," (for Bellatrix had made a scathing noise), "the Dark Lord acknowledges it. I am pleased to say, however, that Dumbledore is growing old. The duel with the Dark Lord last month shook him. He has since sustained a serious injury because his reactions are slower than they once were. But through all these years, he has never stopped trusting Severus Snape, and therein lies my great value to the Dark Lord."

"And Harry?" Harry had been so transfixed in the conversation that he was surprised by the use of his name, in Bellatrix's scathing tone. "Explain to me this...if you had been faithful to the Dark Lord this whole time through...why is Harry still alive? Why have you not killed him?"

Snape stood up, slowly walking towards Bellatrix, and Harry seemed to see a different sort of Snape. He had always thought Snape was a horrible, devious, insufferable teacher who liked to torment Harry on every occasion he got. But this time, as he caught a glimpse of his face, he saw a deep, black darkness sparking through his eyes. He circled around Bellatrix, slowly, mysteriously... and Bellatrix seemed honestly anxious, her eyes darting as Snape walked. For the first time, Harry saw something deeper than hatred in Snape's eyes..._death_.

"Now you see Bella..." he said in a low hiss. "It was only Albus Dumbledore's protection that bought me a ticket out of Azkaban. You don't _really _think that murdering his favourite boy would have made him and me on good terms?" Snape turned away from Bellatrix then...walking towards the fireplace. "I could not simply murder the boy where there was so much protection, so much danger. There would have been no way to complete the job. I have tried my very best to get him kicked out of the school, as he has no immeasurable talent at all, but kill him...I would have been a fool to risk it while Dumbledore was so close by."

Harry listened to Snape drawl, in a creepy, malicious tone. The way Snape spoke of murder, of Harry's murder, was in an undenying ambitious tone. Harry's heart started to feel cold. He felt the hatred seep in slowly, growing in fervour, as he glanced upon the man that was unraveling his dear faith in the wizard that had murdered his parents, who had turned his life in turmoil.

"Now, I am so sorry Narcissa, but I do believe you wanted to ask me for help?"

Narcissa glanced up in surprise, not having spoken a word for fifteen minutes, listening to the tense conversation.

"Yes, Severus, well, I think you are the only person who can help...Lucius is in jail and Draco...well...the Dark Lord forbade me to speak of it..."

"If the Dark Lord forbade you, you should not speak," Snape said simply, and Harry heard Narcissa gasp.

"See, Cissy, even Snape says so! You should keep quiet!" Bellatrix said, pleased with Snape for once.

"However..." Snape continued and both Bellatrix and Narcissa turned to the looming man. "I happen to know the circumstance of which you are in."

"He told...the Dark Lord told you?" Bellatrix whispered in surprise.

"Your sister doubts me," Snape smirked.

"I knew he would Severus..." Narcissa whispered gratefully. "He always trusted you so..." Bellatrix made a sound of disgust, but both Narcissa and Snape ignored it.

"But what help do you require, Narcissa? If you believe I have the ability to change the Dark Lord's mind, I am deeply sorry to say that there is no way," Snape said softly. Harry watched as Narcissa put her hands over her face. When she removed, her face was tear-stricken.

"But my son..." Narcissa cried softly.

"He should be honoured!" Bellatrix exclaimed.

"He doesn't know what he's getting into! He's only sixteen! He is so young..." Narcissa's voice shook. "If the Dark Lord is trying to punish our family for Lucius' mistake...please Severus, the Dark Lord has much faith in you, you are Lucius' old friend...if there is any way..."

"There isn't." Snape said automatically, a little coldly. "You know as well as I do that he would not let even his most faithful servant try to persuade him of something he has his mind set on. There is nothing that I am able to do which will not get me murdered, and it would not change his mind anyway."

Narcissa started to sob into her hands. Harry felt disgusted. He could not feel an ounce of sympathy for the Slytherin boy, after all he had done to Harry through his years. He was, however, very curious as to what task Draco had been put up to.

Narcissa dropped down to her knees, grabbing Snape's robes, making Snape jump back in surprise. "What if you did it, Severus? You would succeed, I know you would! And he would reward you so highly!"

Snape froze for a second. Then he grabbed her arms, pulled her up, and sat her back on the sofa. He grabbed the glass of wine and forced it into her hands.

"Narcissa, that's enough. Drink this. Listen to me."

Narcissa nodded shakily, and took a sip of the wine.

"I might...be able to keep Draco safe," Snape said slowly.

Narcissa stood up in surprise. "Really? Would you do that Severus? I would be ever so grateful."

She started to walk over to Snape, when suddenly Bellatrix voice hissed, "Swear to it."

Snape turned to look around at her, keeping his face composed, but Harry could see the confusion in his eye. "I'm sorry?"

"Swear to it." Bellatrix walked over to Snape, facing him directly. "Make the Unbreakable Vow," she whispered.

Harry could see Snape frozen in his spot, facing Bellatrix, not saying a word. Bellatrix took this chance. She smiled an evil smile. "See, Cissy, he doesn't really care. He'll try his _best_, but once it gets too dangerous, he'll just slither back...coward." Bellatrix circled Snape, every word sounding like a sting.

However, instead of being fazed, Snape just raised an eyebrow. "Really now, Bella," Snape mimicked her slithering tone perfectly. "I wish you had more confidence in me." He went over to Narcissa. He took her right arm in his, and clasped them together. "I will make the Unbreakable Vow, certainly."

Bellatrix froze for a second, not believing her ears, but quickly recovered and took out her wand, as she walked over to the pair with their hands clasped together. She twisted her wand, and suddenly a thin, golden line circle itself around Snape's and Narcissa's hands.

Harry drew closer to the three, entranced and afraid of what was happening in front of him, not completely understanding. He unconsciously started to walk towards the living room, until he saw a dark stare from Snape right in his direction. Harry stopped in his tracks. Bellatrix started to speak, in a soft whisper.

"Will you, Severus Snape, watch over Draco Malfoy, as he attempts to fulfill the Dark Lord's wishes?"

Snape's face was blank. "I will." "And will you, Severus Snape, protect him from mark?"

"I will." "And, will you, Severus Snape, if Draco fails...fulfill the task that the Dark Lord has been set for Draco to perform?"

Snape's hand twitched in Narcissa's. He did not respond right away. Narcissa and Bellatrix were watching Snape, silently, waiting him to say the two words.

"I will," Snape said quietly.

A bright orange light lit up the room, glowing in Harry's eyes. Harry turned away for a second, not able to look at either of them. When he turned back, he saw Bellatrix and Narcissa grabbing their coats, and Snape following them to the door to bid them farewell.

Harry sank down the wall onto the floor. What had just happened? He turned the events around in his head, trying to make sense of them all. What was Draco supposed to do for Voldemort that made Narcissa so worried that she came to _Snape, _of all people? What kind of "vow" did Snape make?

However, there was something more important, more deep than any of those simpler questions. He knew he had just seen something that wasn't for his eyes. Neither Bellatrix or Narcissa had known he was there; this meeting was supposed to be secret. He could not get out of his mind how..._easily_ Snape had defied everything that the Order of the Pheonix stood for, how he spoke against Dumbledore, against Harry.

Harry had always doubted. He could not deny that. He had always wondered if Snape had really turned away from his Death Eater ways. But Dumbledore had always expressed his full confidence in him, always believed that he was on their side now. Since when had he become a double agent? He was certainly working with the Death Eaters from one point, as they seemed to fraternize with him so easily about these subjects.

He tried to think reasonably. He tried to tell himself it was a ploy to get information for Dumbledore and the Order. He tried to convince himself, if he was just playing double agent for Dumbledore, he had to lie to Narcissa and Bellatrix. And Snape KNEW that Harry was there. He wouldn't have revealed so much in front of him.

But something got in the way. He remembered how Snape had shooed Dumbledore away so quickly when Snape had known Narcissa and Bellatrix were coming. He remembered how he had spoken...as if he cherished the Dark Lord. He saw the sheer look of death in his eyes as he spoke of Harry's murder. Snape had always hated Harry's dad, James, and Harry in extension. As he remembered how Snape had spoken of him, the hatred in his heart grew until he couldn't stand to stay where he was anymore. Maybe he didn't expect Harry to be there when they visited, but Snape has spoken with such confidence, such loyalty. He was in a traitor's house.

Snape was still at the door, so Harry stood up, energy now coursing through his veins. He walked to the room he had been staying in for the past couple days. He muttered a spell, and all his belongings, even the new clothes Snape had bought for him, piled themselves into his suitcase, and the case snapped shut. He felt a small pang as he looked at the new clothes that he had...that Snape had bought for him...it seemed all like such a trick now.

He hastily grabbed his suitcase, and was trying to shut it when he heard a knock at the window. He turned and saw a bright, snow white owl perched on the window sill.

"Hedwig!" Harry cried and ran over to her. He had sent her out to hunt the day before Dumbledore had collected him from Privet Drive, and in his confusion, he had temporarily forgotten about her. But Hedwig was very smart. She always knew how to find Harry.

He patted her head as she gave him a playful nip on the finger. "Sorry Hedwig, I don't have anything to feed you now, but I promise, when we get out of here, I'll find you something." He stretched out his hand, and Hedwig gave a little hoot and perched herself on his arm.

He took out his wand, meaning to use a spell to open it, but then remembered the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery, and he put his wand back in his back pocket. He found a wooden stick sitting on the side of the room, and he took it, took a few steps back, and smashed the stick against the window, breaking the glass.

Snape had just closed the door on Narcissa and Bellatrix when he heard a smash. He turned around quickly, and ran towards the hallway, looking around for where Harry should be. He didn't feel a prescence. He ran into his room, where, to his surprise, he found broken glass all over the floor. He had to jump to avoid stepping on a particularly large shard. He saw that the window was broken. He shuffled quickly to the window, and peered outside, only to make out Harry Potter running out into the darkness, running away from the safety of the house on Spinner's End.

Harry kept running, wanting to get away, could not bear to stay in the same house as that traitor. In his opinion, he was not at all safe in there. He could not know what he would find out in the streets, or whether he would find safety. All he knew is that anywhere was better than where he was; anyone was better than Severus Snape.


	8. Explain Yourself, Part 1

**AN:** So uhm...I kinda lied. I'm extending this scene ONE more chapter. At this point my story is going to end up being 40 chapters! Gives you more to read though, right? :) Mostly the purpose of extending it one more chapter is that this chapter will be quite long, and it has been quite a bit since any of you have gotten an update on the story, so I figure splitting it in two is a good idea :) I shall try to be more regular with my chapters now, atleast one a week is my hope! :) So always keep reading :D

I loved reading all your reviews on the last chapter! I see that you all view Harry as impulsive, and does not think before he acts. This is true to his Gryffindor character :p But hopefully this chapter (well, next few chapters really) will shed a new light on Harry, as he gets to explain the reason for his actions, and Severus is forced to explain himself to Harry as well. Warning: He will have to get a little worst, before he gets better. You will see what I mean when you read. I know many of you were frustrated at how child-like he is acting, but everything will make sense soon :) There's more to Harry than you think. He will not be the foolish Gryffindor forever! Enjoy, reviews appreciated :D

**Chapter 8: "Explain Yourself."- Part 1**

"I can't believe him," muttered Bellatrix as the two of them walked away from the house on Spinner's End, hoods held close over their heads to avoid the pounding rain. She was slumped, wearing a scowl on her face, as they walked. Narcissa, however, held her head up high, finally satisfied that their outing had turned out the way she wanted. "Who does he think he is?"

"Really, Bella, don't see why you can't be more open-minded," Narcissa said simply.

"Open-minded? What about this excuse for a Death-Eater should I be open-minded about?" Bellatrix spit out.

"He helped us." Narcissa kept walking, keeping the smug yet grateful smile off her face. Showing her happiness in banding with Snape to help protect her son would not go over well with her sister.

"How do you know he's not playing us? If he really tricked Dumbledore for all these years, he's perfectly capable of making us believe that he's on our side," Bellatrix continued to argue.

"Well if that's true, then he wouldn't need to trick Dumbledore, now would he?" Narcissa shook her head. "He made the Unbreakable vow, so either way, he cannot deceive it."

"If anyone could, it'd be that greasy git," Bellatrix muttered, but let the subject go. They had their hoods back on their head, as it was pouring outside. They were shuffling quickly across the road, keeping their heads down, when they heard a familiar hoot, the hoot that came from an owl.

Bellatrix stopped suddenly as she heard the sound, and grabbed Narcissa's arm. "Ssshh, Cissy!"

"What is the matt-" Narcissa started to stay but Bellatrix gave her arm a tug, and she stopped mid-sentence. Bellatrix led her over to an alleyway, and they pressed their back against a wall, both voices hushed, trying to listen through the pattering of the rain.

"Ow, Hedwig! Don't bite me!" An urgent whisper was heard in the distance.

Hedwig...? Bellatrix thought for a moment. She recognized that name...she'd heard that name said before...but she couldn't place it.

"I promise, we'll be somewhere safe soon," the voice continued to whisper. They heard footsteps splashing in the rain as the figure got closer. Bellatrix was racking her mind, trying to remember where she had heard the name before.

Narcissa, however, was frozen in her spot, eyes wide open, a frightened look on her face. Bellatrix did not notice however, and Narcissa did not speak up.

When the footsteps got close enough that they could be clearly heard from a short distance away, both Bellatrix and Narcissa pushed their backs further against the wall, so as not to be seen.

The figure walked past the opening of the alleyway quickly, muttering to himself, it seemed. The only thing that Bellatrix caught was a bright flash of white.

Bellatrix froze. White owl...

"Cissy!" Narcissa jumped as she heard her name. "That's Potter's owl! He's here! Come _on_, Cissy!" Narcissa was not responding to her sister's urgent demands, so Bellatrix grabbed her by the hand and Narcissa allowed herself to be dragged out into the rain. her feet trying to keep up reluctantly

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><p>Harry stopped running for a moment to catch his breath. He would have used his Firebolt, but he knew this was a part-Muggle village, and he didn't want to attract too much attention. That was the last thing he needed right now<em>.<em>

It wasn't until then that Harry noticed he was still under the Disillusionment Charm. He put Hedwig down for a moment, took out his wand from the back of his pocket, and murmured a quiet "_Finite Incantatem"._The chameleon-like disguise disappeared, and his body re-appeared against the dark, rainy scene. He picked up Hedwig again and started to walk again. The rain was starting to get harder now, and Harry had not thought to bring a jacket. He brought his hands across his chest, his beloved owl perched on his shoulder, and his broom and suitcase banging against his chest as well as he walked. It was quiet in the village. He would've thought it was abandoned if he didn't see the warm lights emanating from the many houses lining the street. He looked towards the houses, the light so inviting to his cold, soaked body. He sneezed, starting to shiver. He knew there was a drying charm, but he couldn't remember it for the life of him, and it wouldn't help if he couldn't get out of the downpour. He felt alone. It was not a feeling he was unaccustomed to, but somehow, through the last couple of days, he had probably seen better treatment then he ever had at the Dursleys...which greatly frustrated him, knowing the treachery Snape was.

He was finding it difficult to see, with the rain sticking to and fogging up his glasses. Through his stained glasses, he saw a small park, with a large tree in the middle of it. He gratefully walked over to the tree, soaking his shoes, and once he was under the tree, he found that it was dry under it, which is what he had hoped for. He sat down on the grass, set down his suitcase and broom, and took off his glasses, wiping them on his shirt. He was almost surprised to see himself one of the new, nicer shirts that Snape had bought him...he shook the thought out of his head.

Hedwig gave a little hoot, and Harry looked to his shoulder, watching Hedwig lean his head towards him. Harry patted his head tenderly.

"I know Hedwig...I feel lonely too." Harry sighed. He took his suitcase, laid it on it's side, and opened it up. He rummaged through all the clothes that lay in there, and came across what he was looking for. He held the package in his hand, turning it around, as if looking for something that he had missed before. He read the little note that was attached to the corner: _"This is a two-way mirror, I've got the other one of the pair. If you need to speak to me, just say my name into it; you'll appear in my mirror and I'll be able to talk in yours. James and I used to use them when we were in separate detentions." _He slowly opened the package, gingerly taking out the mirror that lay inside of it.

He spent some time, just staring at the mirror, hoping by any chance, that he might see Sirius through it.

The only connection he had had to him the whole year, and he had completely forgotten about it.

He hated himself when he first discovered this laying at the bottom of his suitcase at the end of the school year. The reason he had forgotten about it was because he had sworn never to use it, to protect Sirius from leaving the safety of Grimmauld Place to protect him. But if he had only remembered to use it, he would have known that Sirius was safe, and wouldn't have been led on a wild goose chase that ultimately lead Sirius to his death.

It was because of him that Sirius was dead.

Harry felt a tear start to slide down his cheek. He wiped it off his face in annoyance. He was being a baby. He was 15 year's old, he needed to start acting like it. He was a Gryffindor, wasn't he? He stood up hastily, jostling Hedwig off his shoulder. He gave an angry hoot as Harry picked his suitcase up, reaching for his firebolt, when he heard footsteps. Quick footsteps as if someone was running towards him. They were far off at first but he could hear whoever it was coming nearer every second.

Harry took out his wand, held it out in front of him, and stood his ground, waiting for whatever would turn around the corner, ready to face whatever came at him.

* * *

><p>Snape left the house without a second thought.<p>

What was that insolent boy thinking? Breaking the glass of HIS house, running away from the safety that Severus had gratefully provided the boy? Did the foolish Gryffindor not have a brain? Potter had done some pretty stupid stuff during his few years at Hogwarts, but this was way above the line.

He kept running through the pouring rain, ignoring how soaked he was becoming. He cast a simple warming charm over himself, and continued to run down the street. Where could that boy have gone?

He continued to run until he saw something white flashing on the ground. He stopped in front of it and picked it up. It was a feather. A bright, shining, white feather.

That he knew for a fact belonged to Hedwig, Potter's owl.

He started to run faster, now that he knew he was on the right track. He tried to control his emotions, but inside he was absolutely fuming with anger. How could he disrespect him like this? How could he just _run away_? Oh, when he got his hands on Potter...

He kept running until he was almost at the end of the street. His feet were splashing in the many puddles that were forming on the road. He turned the corner abruptly and found himself facing the park that always sat at the corner-side of the small village. He saw a figure under the huge tree in the middle of the park. He started to walk closer to it.

He was soon close enough to it to notice that it was a young male figure. He walked through the grass, quietly, slithering through the now drizzling rain. His foot, however, stepped on a lone branch. The figure turned around at him, and he saw with a flourish that it was Potter, his wand pointing directly forward at him, face defiant. Severus instinctively put his wand up towards Harry as well.

They both stood there for a minute, silent, wands facing eachother, staring into eachother's faces.

Snape was the first one to break the silence.

"Potter...put down your wand," Snape said slowly.

Harry's face continued to display his defiance. He lowered his wand a little, but did not put it down, still keeping it faced towards Snape.

Snape was becoming impatient. He stepped forwards, keeping his wand pointed at the Gryffindor boy. "Do not make me force that wand out of your hand," Snape said in a hiss.

Harry's face became shadowed with hatred. But before he could form the words in his mouth, Snape knowing what Harry wanted to do, shouted: "POTTER, DON'T! You'll get expelled!"

"Oh, like you wouldn't want that, anyways!" Harry spit back out. "Apparently you've been trying quite hard to for some time!"

Snape paused for a second, a little startled at Harry's outburst. Then, his eyes narrowed, his voice coming out in a scary whisper, "You insolent little boy, do you not know how much I have done to keep you safe these past few days? Do you not think of anyone but yourself?"

"Keep me safe?" Harry laughed a bitter laugh. "Sure, like you were not just trying to warm me up for the Dark Lord, you filthy Death-Eater."

The next second Harry found his wand flying out of his hand as Snape shouted an_ "Expelliarmus!"_, and his hand being clenched in a fierce grip.

"Hmm, Potter, you have much courage to say that to me," Snape said fiercely, shaking Harry a couple of times. "How dare you even -"

There was a shuffle in the distance. Snape stiffened, much like he did when they were back at his house. He let go of Harry's arm, and while Harry was stretching out his wrist, Snape turned around quickly, looking around the empty park. Harry did not know what had happened.

"Hide," Snape said sharply, as Harry was trying to get his bearings. Harry did not respond at first, a bit confused, so Snape gave him a little shove. "Hide! Take Hedwig and hide somewhere where you cannot be found. Go!" Harry took Hedwig and ran off to the other side of the park, finding a large bunch of shrubs outlining it, and he hid himself in between the very largest bush, unable to be seen from the outside.

Snape waved his wand and muttered a spell, and Harry's suitcase and broom disappeared. Snape quickly hid off towards the other side of the park, casting a charm on the shrub to make it grow higher in order to cover him.

Just in time, too, because as soon as they had gotten under cover, footsteps were heard rushing through one of the alleyways.

"Come out, come out, Potter...wherever you are!" Bellatrix sang in a hiss as she and Narcissa appeared out of the alleyway, Bellatrix overjoyed as she pulled out her wand, muttered a "_Lumos"_, and crept towards the park, towards the very place where Harry and Snape were hiding.

**To Be Continued!**


	9. Explain Yourself, Part 2

**AN: **I want to greatly apologize for the lack of updates on these chapters. Now that my Senior year has started, I have been swamped with homework and work, and have barely had any free time on my hands. I shall try to update as much as possible, as it is looking right now, I shall try to update every _two_weeks, but I shall try to see if I can update sooner whenever I have the time :) Please keep reading!

This is the last of the more-or-so "four-chapter" scene, where Snape and Harry finally try to listen to eachother. Will they finally understand eachother? How will their relationship develop in the next few chapters from this? You'll just have to read and see ;) Reviews are much appreciated again, I love to hear your thoughts! Love you all! :D

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><p>"<strong>Explain Yourself." - Part 2<strong>

Harry sunk back into the shrubs as Bellatrix's shrill voice rang out across the empty park.

Bellatrix was walking towards the park, Narcissa following at her heels. Bellatrix brought her wand up and shouted _"Lumos Maxima!"__**,**_ and a bright ball of light flew out of her wand and landed in the middle of the park, shining a bright glow over the whole playground.

"Bella, are you really sure that Harry is here?" Narcissa said in a contained voice. "Why would he be all the way out in a little village like this?"

"I heard him," Bellatrix said harshly. "I'd know that voice from a mile away, the voice that the Dark Lord craves to be silenced for life."

Both Harry's and Snape's eyes widened as they heard the blunt declaration.

Narcissa spoke no more. She just followed Bellatrix as she skimmed the park, a fierce look in her eyes.

"Now Potter, I know you're here...why don't you come out nicely, and I'll try not to hurt you too much." Bellatrix hair was as frazzled and crazy as always, and her skin was pale and sallow, showing a beauty that she must have once had in her later years, but was sucked away from her during her time in Azkaban.

Harry was kneeling behind the shrub, trying to hold back his breaths in order to not be found. He was silent for a couple of minutes, while Bellatrix began to grow frustrated as she could not find Harry anywhere.

When a bee appeared in front of Harry's eye.

Now if Harry was not a wizard who had grown up in the Muggle World, he would not have known what this creature was. But since he had lived in the Muggle World, and was fully capable of knowing the pain that this foul little creature ensued, he instinctively fell backwards, into a sitting position, causing him to make a loud shuffling noise as he landed on the grass, and his legs brushed through the shrubs.

Harry held his breath, as Snape stiffened in his own hiding spot on the other side of the park.

Bellatrix turned around wildly, at the spot where a strange shuffle had come from. She smiled a devilish, pleased smile, as she took her wand and tapped it at her cheek, grinning, as if she was thinking of something.

"Oh dear, I don't believe I will ever find the boy now..." She was still grinning as she pointed her wand at the shrub and uttered _"Accio Potter's Wand!"_.

Harry felt his wand try to force itself out of his hand. As much as he tried to grasp it, the grass he had fallen back on was damp from the rain, and his hands were quite slippery, so the wand flew out of his hand, where it flew right into Bellatrix's strong grasp, confirming what Bellatrix had thought.

"_Stupefy!"_

The spell hit Harry square in the chest. Snape gasped as Harry was blown right from the bushes, landing on the floor in a heap.

Bellatrix ran up Harry, who was still lying on the floor, trying to find his breath. She grasped the front of his shirt and lifted him up off the ground. Harry struggled against her grip.

"Stupefy!" He had grabbed his wand from Bellatrix's hand stealthily and aimed at her chest, and she fell backwards, letting go of Harry as he fell, landing on his feet this time. She got up very quickly, an angry look on her face. Harry was about to attack Narcissa, who had taken her wand out and had it aimed at Harry, when Bellatrix's wand shot out and she yelled "Crucio!"

Harry keeled over, the pain unbearable, shouting in agony. Snape almost fell over, watching in pain, as he saw Harry squirming on the floor. Bellatrix had a devilish expression on her face. She lifted the curse, and Harry lay on the ground, not comprehending why the pain was gone for a second.

"Had enough, Potter?" Bellatrix smirked.

But it was to her surprise that Harry got up again, stumbling for a second, but then righting himself, his face full of fury, his wand pointed at Bellatrix once again.

"Hmmm..." Bellatrix muttered. "Seems like the little baby needs another dose to learn his lesson."

Harry had a harder time getting up after the second attack. As he tried to right himself, he kept losing his balance, unable to get his legs to work properly. Bellatrix laughed. She brought her wand back up once more, planning to deliver one more blow, when she gasped suddenly, falling over on the ground.

Snape had hit her with a silent curse from his hiding spot, right in her back.

Narcissa turned around sharply, trying to find the source of the attack, her wand out in front of her. However, she couldn't have seen – or heard – it coming. She fell over as well as she was hit with Snape's curse. Both lay on the floor, unconscious, as Harry stood around, confused as to what happened.

Snape took that chance to quickly get up, run across the park, grab Harry's hand before he could react, and apparate away.

They landed in front of Snape's house. The rain had ceded, a light spitting falling from the sky now. As soon as they apparated in front of Snape's house, Snape let go of Harry's hand, walked abruptly to the front door, and held it open, waiting for Harry to come inside.

Harry stood at the door, hesitating.

"Harry," Snape said in a slow voice. "Come inside."

Harry, eyes wide, followed Snape inside the house. He had not missed the fact that Snape had used his first name for the first time that he had ever known him.

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><p>When they entered the house, Snape didn't say a word. He just pointed to the living room. Harry followed his finger, and walked to the living room, not saying a word.<p>

When he got to the room, he sat on the sofa. He sat there quietly, absorbed in his thoughts.

He didn't know what to think. What were the chances of running into Bellatrix and Narcissa? Well, granted, they had just left Snape's house a minute before he had broken out.

He knew one thing: he was lucky – lucky that he didn't get killed tonight.

Lucky that Snape had followed him.

He hated the feeling that crept upon him, but he couldn't control it. He felt guilty. He felt shame for running away in the first place, the second time this week. He had reacted on instinct that he did not have any background information on.

He sat with his guilty feeling for about 20 minutes, while Snape was in the kitchen, doing what, Harry did not know.

Little did Harry know, that that was Snape's intent: to make Harry sit on his own and squirm, feeling guilty and afraid of how Snape would react. He peeked into the living room, and saw Harry with an uncomfortable look on his face. Snape smiled a tiny smile. He picked up two cups of coffee, and went into the living room, where Harry looked up, eyes wide. Snape sat, to Harry's surprise, on the table in front of him, handing Harry the cup of coffee. Harry took it tenderly, looking down at the cup as he took a sip, not able to look up. He felt like a baby.

Snape broke the silence.

"Explain yourself."

Harry hesitated, not knowing what to say. "I was...angry."

"About?" Snape said simply.

"That you were talking about siding with the Dark Lord so easily," Harry said a little forcefully, defiantly. Harry looked up and say Snape's eyes narrow, and the defiance was wiped off his face instantly.

"You don't think I could just defy the Dark Lord right in front of his greatest supporters, do you?" Snape said in a low voice. Harry looked down again, his answer showing in his silence. He had just never thought of that. He had been too angry.

"You foolish Gryffindor boy...don't you think before you act?" Snape said, without as much malice in it as it would have had, but it was definitely an accusation.

"Like you would understand why I thought like that. Like I've ever been able to trust anyone. Like I've ever had anyone to trust. Like the only people I could trust are dead. Like – " Harry stopped talking abruptly as he realized what he was revealing. He was embarrassed, revealing his most inner-most thoughts to his hated Potions Master. He expected Snape to disgrace him for his dramaticness, and to tell him to get over his moping.

However, Snape just sighed.

"Perhaps I should have talked to you earlier," Snape muttered, and Harry looked up once more, seeing Snape's face look quite uncomfortable.

"About what?"

Snape shook his head. He took a breath, and started to talk. "Me and your mom...we were friends. Good friends. And one day, a long time ago, I made a promise. I made a promise that I would take care of you. And I intend to keep my promise."

Harry's eyes widened. "You and my mom were...friends?"

Snape nodded mutely.

"But..." Harry stuttered. "You and my dad hated eachother."

An unpleasant look came upon Snape's face, and Harry backed off.

"And you promised that you would...protect me." It wasn't a question. It was an affirmation.

Snape was silent, just looking at Harry, waiting for him to process it.

"I'm sorry," Harry finally said. "I didn't know..."

"Ofcourse you didn't," Snape said. "And I didn't give you much reason to, anyways. I haven't been very pleasant to you for the past 5 years, and neither have you to me."

Harry nodded, not knowing what to say.

"However, you cannot just make rash decisions like that, and run off whenever you get angry. You almost exposed my position, as well as gotten yourself killed," Snape said harshly. "And there will be consequences for your actions."

"Yes, sir," Harry said.

Both of them sat silently for a minute, until Snape stood up, looking at the clock.

"It's late. You will be waking up early tomorrow. Go get ready for bed."

Harry stood up silently and nodded. "Goodnight sir."

Snape simply nodded, and walked towards the kitchen, while Harry headed towards the washroom.

Snape might still not like Harry entirely. Harry might still not like Snape either.

But, for once, they understood eachother.


	10. Late Beginnings

**AN: **Wow, I am completely HORRIBLE at updating regularly :( I have to apologize a million times for the lateness of this chapter. As I mentioned in the update, I really didn't want to create a slap-dash chapter that wasn't really good, because I haven't had any time in the world to write. Hopefully this chapter makes up for it :) I am going to TRY to keep up with the "chapter ever two weeks" incentive I mentioned in the last chapter, but then again, I might be delayed a little bit. But I give you my work that I shall try my best to update more regularly! I'm not done with this story yet, not in the least ;) I hope you enjoy this chapter, feel free to review, I love your thoughts! :)

P.S: Don't mind if you find a couple grammatical errors here and there, I might have made a couple spelling mistakes. xD

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><p><strong>Chapter 9: Late Beginnings<strong>

_He was running. He had heard what had happened, but yet couldn't believe it. Maybe he could make it, just in time...maybe he could stop it, but how? He continued to run, gasping, yet he knew he couldn't stop, if it meant saving them...saving her._

_He reached the house. He knew he had already been here. The place was in ruins. Windows broken, furniture astray, door blasted open. He could see a dim light coming through the door. He didn't think twice. He ran into the house, trying to maneuver around the chaos that had been caused. He continued to walk, listening for a sound. He heard a faint whimper: the sound of a baby's cry, in the next room. He quickened his pace, almost tripping over a toy broom that was lying on the floor. _

_When he reached the room where he had heard the baby's cry, he was shocked. He found himself in a child's room, complete with a crib. In the crib lay a crying child, tears pouring over his face, obviously in distress. He faintly noticed a zig-zagged mark across the boy's forehead. His eyes dropped down towards the floor, and he almost fell over in shock. There he saw a lady with buoyant, bright red hair, strewn across the floor...not moving. _

_He fell on his knees, and put his hands on the her shoulders , shaking her gently. When she wouldn't respond, he picked her up off the floor, held her in his arms, and shook her with more intensity.  
>"Lily..." He whispered in a soft voice. She did not respond, her eyes gently closed, as if in a deep slumber. His heart started to grow empty. <em>

"_Lily! LILY!" He shouted in pain, begging her to wake up, to open those deep, green eyes, to stop fooling around with him._

_But yet...she did not answer. Her eyes continued to remain closed. He pulled her fragile, lifeless body into his arms, tears starting to fall down his own face. He couldn't accept it, she couldn't be gone.  
>He could not hold back the tears any longer. He held her in his arms as he cried, as his heart slowly shattered, knowing that he would never see those beautiful, piercing green eyes again.<em>

Snape woke up with a start. His face was flushed, and the remnants of unnoticed tears were drying on his face. He got up from his bed, and walked over to the washroom, taking the time to wash off his face and to take a drink of water. He was slightly shaking from the intense dream, but he tried not to think about it as his heart rate calmed down.

He walked out of his room, bare-footed, meaning to walk over to the sitting room in order to have a half hour of good reading to calm his mind down. On the way, he stopped in front of Harry's door. He paused. Out of some un-ordinary instinct, he turned the handle of Harry's door and opened it slightly, just enough so that he could see Harry lying in his bed, not tossing and turning this night, seeming to be in a peaceful slumber. Snape just stood there for a minute, watching him, watching him sleep silently. Hedwig was sitting in her cage in just the corner of the room, pecking at the side of one of the bars. Snape quietly tip-toed into Harry's room, towards Hedwig. Hedwig didn't respond to Snape's advance, not until she saw Snape unlatching her cage door open and slowly opening it. Snape took Hedwig from the cage, set her on his hand, and walked over to the window, opening it. It was quite a chilly night for July. He stuck his hand out the window, with Hedwig perched on it. Hedwig paused for a second to give a slight nip at Snape's hand, then flew off into the night. Snape knew she would return by morning.

He quietly tip-toed back to the door, closing the window behind him. He took one last look at Harry, before he closed the door behind him and continued walking down the hallway towards the kitchen.

He was wrong, about never seeing those precious, green eyes again. They still existed, and even through the closed lids of a sleeping boy, he knew they were there.

* * *

><p>Harry knew that he would have to pay for what he had done last night.<p>

He couldn't have been more correct.

As soon as he woke up to the sound of an irritating alarm, that he had not set himself, he saw a note beside his night table.

_You are to clean and wash the kitchen and all the bathrooms, and you_

_will dust all the bedrooms until they are dirt-free._

_I will be back in a couple of hours, and I expect this to be_

_completed when I get back. Don't get any funny ideas about going_

_anywhere._

_-Professor Snape_

Harry groaned as he sat up in his bed, anticipating the work that he would have to do today. Although, if he was being honest with himself, he had expected a lot worst. He shivered as he climbed out of his bed, finding himself feeling quite chilly. He hoped he wasn't getting a cold from last night. That was the last thing he needed.

He was groggy as he went downstairs, got himself a bowl of cereal and some milk, and sat down to eat. He hadn't gotten a very good night of rest last night. He kept having dreams the Hall of Prophecy, of flashes and loud noises, of a silvery curtain...he shook his head, trying not to reminisce in his dreams.

As soon as he finished his breakfast, he got to work on his "punishment". He found a mop, a broom, a sponge, and some cleaning solutions, and started in on the kitchen. He whistled random tunes as he worked, songs he used to hear his Aunt Petunia whenever she worked on cleaning the house (whenever she hadn't forced Harry to do it). It was weird for him to remember his aunt and uncle again, even for one second. It had only been about less than a week, but it felt like so much longer. He hated to admit it, but living with Snape for the past week had been...quite tolerable actually, compared to Dursleys. Harry was surprised at even himself at this acknowledgment.

By the time he had finished dusting off the last room, Harry was exhausted. His eyes were closing on him as he put away all the cleaning supplies back into a cabinet.

When Snape returned three hours later, with a bunch of groceries and supplies from the nearest apothecary, he found Harry passed out on the couch, snoring gently, hand hanging over the side of the couch. Snape just shook his head, grabbed a blanket from Harry's room, and tucked it around Harry, leaving him to sleep. Snape found it more peaceful like that anyways.

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><p>Harry opened his eyes slightly, still feeling a bit sleepy, not knowing how he had fallen asleep, quite honestly to himself. He heard a couple of voices in the distance. One of them seemed to be a woman's voice. It took him a couple of seconds to realize that the voices were closer than he thought they were. When his vision cleared up, he saw two people sitting in the living room. One of the figures was Snape, unmistakeable in his black attire. He took a closer look at the second person, and realized surprisingly that it was the familiar figure of Professor McGonagall.<p>

Professor McGonagall saw Harry shift from her peripheral vision, and she turned her head to give him a smile. "Hello Harry, how are you?"

It took a second for Harry to respond. "I'm fine, Professor. How are you?" It was strange to see TWO of his teachers outside the Hogwarts walls, let alone one.

"I'm quite fine, thanks for asking. I just came over to bring over your summer homework that you are supposed to have complete by the end of next month." Harry saw a set of books, parchment, quills, and ink on the table in front of him. He suddenly realized that he had totally forgotten to bring his summer work with him from the Dursleys.

"Oh! I'm sorry, Professor..." Harry apologized.

"It's quite alright, Harry. Dumbledore sends his regrets in not reminding you to bring it along when he came for you, so he sent me over to complete the deed." She gave Harry a warm smile.

"Yes, it would be quite a regret to not have ALL your homework finished by the end of the summer, Potter," Snape joined in, sitting comfortably on his chair, watching Harry. "Did you complete the tasks I asked of you?"

"Yes, sir," Harry muttered, slightly rolling his eyes. Snape's eyes narrowed a bit, but he did not comment.

"Now, Harry, why don't you take your books to your room?" McGonagall offered.

"Alright," Harry answered, and stood up, grabbing all the materials with both of his hands, trying not to tip the ink over. A sudden desire came across his mind, and, awkwardly, turning towards Snape, he asked, "Uhm...I've kinda wanted to ride my Firebolt for a little while, just to get some practice back in for the new year...may I ride on it for awhile?" Although he did not want to, he felt some strange inclination to ask Snape for permission.

Snape was silent for a moment, debating. Finally, he sighed and said, "Fine, you may. But do stay in the backyard where I know where you are."

Harry nodded, excitement building up inside of him, as he walked quickly with all his books and materials to his room.

"He seems to be getting more comfortable around here, isn't he Severus?" McGonagall stated, while Snape just stared at the foolish boy as he ran to his room.

"You could say that," Snape said simply. He couldn't really care less how he felt here. He was just there so that Snape could protect him from harm. That was all.

"How're you two getting along?" McGonagall asked, and when Snape looked up, he could see that she had a little smirk on her face.

Snape couldn't come up with an answer immediately, but after a few seconds he just shook his head. "You do know the situation Minerva, I presume. I believe we are just tolerable enough to get by."

"I do understand, Severus. And yet...it wouldn't do too much harm to get to know the boy," Minerva gave him a knowing look. Snape sighed. McGonagall was one of the only other people, other than Dumbledore, that really understood his situation, and his past. And yet, he thought, she seemed to be blinded sometimes.

"Perhaps," Severus reluctantly said. "Although I don't see that happening very likely."

"It'll take some effort from the both of you, ofcourse," McGonagall pointed out.

"Do you really think the boy would ever be willing to anyways, Minerva, really? He despises me as much as I do him," Snape said a little harshly.

"You judge too quickly. Give him more credit than that. You might find that he's up to the challenge."

"What's the point, anyways?" Snape started to attack defensively. "Pray, tell me, what good would it do for either of us to try and grow closer? I am his teacher, he is my student. This relationship should stand at an impersonal distance. I have agreed to let him stay here on the grounds of desperateness, but to try and adjust our relationship because of this misfortunate event is far from necessary."

Minerva was quiet as Snape finished his rant. When he stopped, Minerva just gave him a knowing look. And though she spoke no words, Severus saw the reply in her expression.

Snape shook his head, and just as he was about to reply, Harry ran into the room, carrying his precious Firebolt. He looked towards his two professors and gave them a tight smile, as he ran to the door that led to the backyard. It wasn't long before McGonagall and Snape heard a swish as the broom rose into the sky, Harry happily on it.

Snape silently stood up and walked towards the backyard. McGonagall watched Snape wonderingly, and soon stood up to follow him out. When she got there, she found Snape standing at the doorstep, staring into the sky, where Harry flew from left to right, up and down, anywhere his heart desired.

They stood there quietly for a couple of minutes, just watching him in the beautiful blue sky.

After awhile, they heard a soft voice behind them. "Why, hello Professors."

"Good afternoon, Headmaster," McGonagall answered, turning to see Dumbledore standing behind them, appearing simply out of nowhere. Snape however, was too immersed in his own thoughts to notice Dumbledore's appearance.

"Sorry to drop in unexpectedly, I just wanted to see how things were going." Dumbledore walked towards Snape, and put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Hello my boy, how are you doing?"

"Alright, Albus," Snape answered quietly, still looking at the sky. Dumbledore looked upwards, to see Harry making his twentieth circle around the parameter of the small backyard.

"Hmm," Dumbledore said quietly. "He seems to get it from his father, doesn't he?"

"His mother was a great flier too," Snape answered. "She always flew her broom around my backyard, whenever she was frustrated and wanted some release. Sometimes I would take my broom and go up with her...and sometimes I would just sit and watch."

McGonagall walked towards them, until they were all standing together, watching. They were silent, a peaceful quietness settling over them.

"I miss her."

Both Dumbledore and McGonagall turned towards Snape, as he uttered those three words.

"I miss her...alot." Snape's voice shook slightly. He turned towards them, his eyes carrying a misty sight of pain. "It wasn't her time yet. She shouldn't have gone the way she did. She shouldn't have died!" Snape stopped speaking, as his voice was starting to waver, so he just looked away from them, back at the sky, and tried to harden his expression, not wanting to show the emotion he felt inside.

"Severus." McGonagall's voice was soft and gentle. "It's alright. You could have never stopped what happened."

"Yeah...but I caused it," Snape walked away from them, trying to bury his emotion into the deepest part of his heart.

"Why now, you didn't cause it." Dumbledore followed him, grabbing his shoulder so that he couldn't walk away. "You didn't know. You couldn't stop it. You can't blame yourself for this."

Snape stood rigidly, trying to control himself. He did not want to look like a fool, but the truth was, all he wanted to do was be alone. He tried to walk away again, but the feeling of Dumbledore's hand on his shoulder could not allow him to leave.

"Severus, you must try not to shut out so many from your life. Companionship, friendship, love...they are essential for human life. It will be alright, my boy. Stay strong."

Snape nodded, looking up at the sky once more, where Harry was starting to come lower on his broom, apparently exhausting himself from flying for almost an hour.

Snape turned around, where both Minerva and Albus were looking towards him, their faces not showing any emotion.

"We should go inside," Snape said, and the two other professors smiled in agreement, and they both entered the house, as Harry took his last couple of rounds on his Firebolt.

* * *

><p>"Sir?"<p>

"Yes?"

Harry did not know why he spoke up. Him and Snape were sitting at the kitchen table, eating dinner quietly. They had exchanged little conversation, before going off into their own worlds. Harry had been thinking about something personal, and a question had come up in his mind, but he couldn't understand why he was actually asking.

"Well...can you tell me a story about my mum?" Harry asking hesitantly.

Snape looked up with a quizzical look in his face, and a hint of something Harry could not identify.

"Why do you ask?" Snape said slowly.

"Ahh...well..." Harry was regretting even bringing up the subject. "I didn't know her very well. And you said you two were good friends...I just thought it'd be nice to learn something about her."

Snape stared at Harry, seeming to not know what to say. Harry was just about to take back the question, when Snape suddenly stood up and walked away from the table. Harry was very confused. But, in a couple of minutes, Snape returned, carrying a picture frame in his hand. He sat back down in his chair at the table and held out the picture frame towards Harry. Harry slowly took it from his hand and looked at the picture that was in the frame.

It was a picture of two children. One of the children, a bright, happy-faced girl with vibrant red hair, decked in clothes of red and gold. Another was a young boy, with hair up to the bottom of his chin, wearing dark green and black robes. He looked extremely happy as well. They were both holding a brook in one of their hands, and one of the boy's hands was wrapped around the girl's shoulders.

Harry could barely speak. "Is that..."

Snape nodded. "Usually whenever my parents were out of the house, your mother used to come over with her broom, and we used to fly around our backyard carelessly, sometimes playing a one-on-one game of pass-the-quaffle, since we wouldn't have enough people to play a real Quidditch game. Your mother was a really good flier."

Harry just stared at the picture of his mother, as a child. Her bright face it up the whole picture, and her deep, green eyes had a special sparkle in them. "I didn't know my mom was a good flier as well," Harry said quietly.

Both of them were silent for a couple of moments.

"You know, you were lucky," Harry said suddenly, surprising Snape.

"Why would you say a thing like that?" Snape said.

"Well, you knew her. You knew her for awhile. You guys were friends when you went to Hogwarts. You hung out with her...I never knew her. I never even saw her, never even talked to her..." Harry's voice wavered off.

Snape didn't know what to say. He never really thought of the fact that the boy had never known his mother. In a way, he was right. Snape was lucky enough to have even know her, let alone be good friends with her.

But yet, he didn't know what to say to Harry. He was not good with emotions.

All he could think of his putting his hand on Harry's shoulder.

And for some reason, that was more than Harry could have ever asked for him.

He put the picture back on the table, and got up from his chair. "I'm going to bed, Sir. Goodnight." He started to walk away, but he quickly turned around and said, almost in a whisper, "Thank you." He continued to walk away towards the hallway leading to the washroom.

Few words were spoken. And one simple "Thank You" may not have seemed much.

Snape looked back down towards the picture, the picture of him and Lily. When they were still innocent, happy, _good _friends.

For Snape, one "Thank You" was just enough for now.


	11. Contemplations

**AN: **Yay, I met my two week deadline with this chapter! I decided to go with a bit of a different format with this, and it is quite a bit shorter, but I think you guys will like it :) I hope you'll like it, reviews much appreciated again! :D I'd also love to hear your thoughts on where you think their relationship is going to go, and how it will develop :) Be prepared for some real one on one time between Harry and Snape in the next chapter ;)

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><p><strong>Chapter 10: Contemplations<strong>

_Dear Ron and Hermoine,  
><em>

_How're you guys doing? How's your vacation Hermoine? And how are the twins doing Ron? Still getting into mischief? I'm looking forward to visiting their little store I've heard about ;) I haven't heard from you guys lately, hope you guys haven't been too busy, I still want to hear about your summer, you know!_

_Life has been kind of interesting these days...and weird too. Very weird. I'm not sure if you guys have heard yet (though it seems like you guys seem to hear about these things pretty quickly), I'm living at Snape's house right now. SNAPE'S HOUSE. I know, it is beyond crazy. Apparently, it is for a safety issue. I still don't understand it entirely myself, but Dumbledore's in on it, and he's the one who brought me here, and I guess by this point, it's just better to trust Dumbledore, isn't it?_

_By any standards, it's been kind of alright here. I can't believe I'm saying this, but...it's much better than what my life would have been at the Dursleys. If I was at the Dursleys, I would probably have been weeding the garden right now in the blazing sun, with Aunt Petunia's threats of not giving me any supper if I don't finish before the sun goes down. And when the supper would finally arrive, it would be a measly slice of bread with a piece of cheese on it. Here, Snape pretty much...leaves me to myself, I guess. Sometimes he would give me a chore or two, but for the rest of the time in the past week and a half, I've been going through his library of books. You guys know I'm not much of a reader (Hermoine, I KNOW you are shaking your head at this moment, muttering something like "Oh Harry, how are you going to get anywhere if you don't **read**?" So you should be happy with this!), but these books are actually kind of interesting. A bunch of them are about wizard subjects, such as wand-making and broom-flying (my Firebolt has been getting a good workout after the full month of not being used!). Others are non-wizard literature...there's quite a bit of Shakespeare plays in Snape's library. You probably know about those, don't you Hermoine, you probably read them at some point, I can guarantee it! Do you know about them, Ron? They're a bit wordy, but once you get into them, they're quite interesting!_

_And Snape's food is MUCH better than Aunt Petunia's. And so are the servings, surprisingly. _

_I've been thinking a lot about things since I got here. I've been thinking a lot about my mother...she used to live here, you know? In this neighbourhood. Apparently her and Snape used to be good friends. Which is very hard to imagine, but I saw a picture of the two of them together when they were young. It's kind of weird, that they used to know eachother. Being good friends with her, you'd think he'd treat me better. But actually...he hasn't been too bad. He showed me a song on the piano (yeah, he PLAYS PIANO too!). It's really beautiful actually. I've been playing around with the piano quite a bit since I've got here too. Snape is...different, here. He's not completely horrible anymore...sometimes he seems to be – well – kind of nice. And I can't believe I'm saying this, but...I'm starting to get used to him. I've never had anyone...actually take care of me before. It was always me fending for myself. Now...there's someone who actually gives me food in the morning, let's me out to ride on my Firebolt for awhile or let me take a walk. Someone who gives me a decent room to sleep in. I know it's only been a week, and I don't even know what's come over me, but...I feel wanted here. Well, more than I ever have before._

_Maybe I've just had a confusing summer so far. In any case, I hope I hear from you guys soon! Miss you two._

_Love, _

_Harry._

Harry stopped writing, and put his quill down, his hand starting to cramp. He picked the letter, skimming it over, and it an instant, threw it out of his hand, where it landed on the floor. He took out two more pieces of parchment, dipped his quill in ink, and started to write again.

_Dear Ron and Hermoine,_

_Hey, how have both of you guys been doing? Hope your summer is turning out well! I've been alright, just kind of confusing at the moment. I'm living at Snape's house for the time being (you guys probably have heard about this already, but we'll talk more when we see eachother again, which is soon I hope!) Don't worry about me guys, I've been fine, it's been a week and I'm still alive. Hope to hear from you guys, haven't seen your owls in awhile! Take care you too, miss you._

_Love,_

_Harry._

Harry got out of his seat, leaving his quill sitting on the table, and went to pick up his original letter from the floor. He looked at it again, and then silently, he folded the letter, and put it on his table, beside his "Macbeth" book, before getting ready for bed.

* * *

><p>Snape had just stepped out of the washroom, and was planning to get a glass of milk and take out a good book to read. When he was walking down the hallway, though, he noticed Harry's door ajar, and a dim night was coming from the inside of his room. That was strange, it was 1:00 AM. That boy better not still be awake, Snape thought. He went over to the door, opened it, and walked inside, only to see Harry fast asleep on his bed. He figured Harry must have fallen asleep before turning off the light. Snape shook his head lightly, and went over to his table to turn off the desk lamp that stood open.<p>

That's when his eyes lay on some pieces of parchment, a used quill, and an open ink bottle on his desk.

There were two pieces of parchment that had little writing. Snape read the first few words, "Dear Ron and Hermione". So these must be letters to his friends, he thought to himself.

His eyes then skimmed across a folded piece of paper, partly hidden by a "Macbeth" book. Slowly, he took the letter and opened it up. It was also addressed, "Dear Ron and Hermoine", and yet it was much longer than the other two.

He started to read.

And he read.

When he was finished, he was silent. He stood there for a moment, not knowing what to do.

He placed the paper back where he found it, turned the light out, and walked over to the door, turning around just once to look at the boy who slept there, outdoor clothes still on. He turned around and walked out of the room, but left the door open just a tiny bit, to let a little bit of light into Harry's room, so there would not be complete darkness.


	12. Too Much, Too Soon

**AN: **I know it's been way too long since I've posted up a chapter. School has actually drowned me, giving me no free time at all to write. It's been a real struggle just trying to keep up with it, being in my final year of high school and all, and teachers seeming to love to throw a bunch of essays and tests at you before Christmas break. So, this is long overdue. But I hope I can make up for it :) I hope you enjoy this chapter, it's a little bit of an introducer for the next chapter as well, so if it seems like it's like half of a chapter, you'll understand why haha. If you're curious about the title...you'll see where it comes in during the next chapter as well :) Pay attention at the end ;) Love you guys, I hope you keep reading, reviews as always are appreciated! :D

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><p><strong>Chapter 11: Too Much, Too Soon<strong>

"We're going on vacation?" Harry said incredulously.

"Yes, we are. I know this may not occur to you, but this happens to be my summer as well, and I would not like to spend it stuck in this house for the next month." Snape was putting a couple of books that he had been reading back on the shelves.

Harry chuckled and shook his head. "Oh, I wouldn't dream of it." Snape glanced at him, but did not comment. Harry was getting more used to being in Snape's company, but he knew when to not take it too far.

"So, where are we going?" Harry questioned.

"That is for me to know, and for you to wait and see," Snape answered simply.

"Why can't you just tell me?" Harry said exasperatedly. But the serious look on Snape's face made him trace back. "Okay, fine, I'll wait."

"You'll do just that," Snape said, and as he finished putting the last book back on the shelf, he turned to Harry. "Go to your room and pack. Remember to take nice clothes."

Harry got up slowly, nodding, yet when he turned, rolled his eyes as he walked over to his room.

Harry was never very good at packing. It was a quality he shared with Ron. Whenever they had to pack to go back to Hogwarts at the end of August, they tended to stuff their trunks with whatever they could fit, random assortments of clothes and robes, which would cause Ms. Weasley to have to take everything out of their trunks and properly repack it, usually reminding them of many things that they would have forgotten to take with them otherwise.

Somehow, Harry figured that he would not have the same luxury with Snape.

He almost laughed at the image in his head of Snape shaking his head as he would pull out all his clothes and extra doodads that he might have decided to pack with him.

He heard a ruffling of feathers that brought him out of his thoughts. Hedwig was pecking at her cage, wanting to be let out to hunt. Harry went over to her and opened the little door, and instantly Hedwig flew out of the cage, jumping around the room, from one end to the other. Harry laughed. Hedwig wasn't like this very much, only when she was really anxious to go out and fly, but when she was, it was very amusing for Harry to watch. Harry opened the window, picked Hedwig up, and let Hedwig out, where she immediately started to fly away, most likely to hunt as she always did.

"I don't have all day to wait for you, Potter." Harry heard Snape walking towards his room. Harry hurriedly stuffed a few more things into his trunk, and tried to close it. It refused to shut, so Harry got up on his bed and sat on the suitcase, bouncing on it until he could finally bolt it shut.

Snape opened his door, to see Harry struggling to fasten the last bolt on his suitcase. He looked up to see Snape looking at him with a skeptical look on his face. Harry was about to open his mouth and explain, when Snape just shook his head. "I don't even want to know."

As Snape walked out of the room, Harry couldn't help but be a tiny bit relieved that Snape didn't bother checking his suitcase.

* * *

><p>It was after another hour that they were finally ready to leave. Harry still had not a clue where they were going, but he knew better than to antagonize Snape anymore.<p>

"How are we getting there?" Harry asked when they were about to leave.

"We're apparating," Snape answered simply.

"Apparating? But...wouldn't we be spotted if we just appeared out of thin air somewhere?"

"Potter, sometimes it amazes me how simple-minded you are. Do you not think I would have decided on a place to apparate where we would not be spotted?"

"Oh..." Harry was silent for the next five minutes , feeling about two inches tall. He hated to be so blatantly spoken to like a child, especially by someone like Snape.

When they were ready to go (Snape explained that he would be apparating back after they arrived at their destination to grab their luggage), Snape came over and held his hand out. "Take my hand Harry."

As Harry was about to take his hand, Snape stopped him and said, "I'm warning you, no funny business. I want this trip to be peaceful, not disastrous, do you understand me?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Loud and clear, sir." He then reached out his hand to grab Snape's, and they disappeared from Spinner's End.

They appeared in an empty, barren room. There was just enough room for the two of them. There was a brown door on one of the walls. Harry was extremely confused.

"Uhmm..." Harry asked hesitantly. "Where are we?"

Snape didn't answer, but he just turned to the door, twisted the knob, and opened it up to reveal a magnificent foyer, filled with many people. There was a great chandelier that hung from the top of the ceiling, and large front desk sitting in the middle of the room. Harry saw someone signing for a room, and the lady at the desk took out her wand and conjured up a form –

Wait...a wand? Harry looked around and started to notice many little distinctive wizard qualities about this foyer. The chandelier didn't hang from the ceiling, but seemed to float in thin air. The desk ladies were conjuring room keys and forms for the guests. The most distinctive thing was probably the attire that all the people wore. It wasn't as much that they were dressed in wizard attire, but really poorly-arranged muggle wear. Harry knew from experience that wizards tended to struggle when it came to wearing proper muggle clothes.

"Confused?" Snape's voice startled him. He didn't answer, just stared around the room. "This is a special wizard ward of a hotel. Only wizards are allowed to obtain a room in these corridors, as you can see." He pointed towards the chandelier. "Some wizards prefer to stay in a place where they do not have to hide their wizardry, even when staying around a muggle place. Hence is why we had to apparate in order to get here."

Harry nodded, not really knowing what to say. He never knew that wizards co-existed with muggles much more than he thought. Then again, he felt like he shouldn't have been surprised.

Snape walked towards the front desk to get their room key, and while he did that, Harry sat down on one of the comfortable couches in the foyer. No sooner then he had sat down on the couch, then did a man suddenly exclaim, "Well, what do you know? It must be my lucky day!"

Harry turned around to see a man wearing a wizard's hat peek up from his paper. He had pale skin, and a look in his dark brown eyes that made Harry feel like this conversation wasn't going to go anywhere good.

"Yes?" Harry answered uncertainly.

"Well, no need to look so scared, boy! My name's Augustus. Augustus Pearson. Just a fellow wizard, having a nice vacation. I have to tell you, thank God for these wizard wards, I couldn't stand a minute with those muggles. And now, if I am not mistaken, you must be Harry, right? Harry Potter?"

"Harry?" To Harry's relief, he heard Snape's voice behind him. "Oh, hello Augustus," he answered blandly.

"Severus!" Augustus voice sounded like it oozed of way too much friendliness. "How are you? What are you doing in a place like this?"

"Just like I believe you said, having a little vacation. Nice to see you, Augustus." Snape answered. "Come on, Harry, let's go to our room." Snape grabbed Harry's hand and pulled with a little force, and Harry got up.

"Why so hasty, Severus? It's been a long time since we've had a little chat. How's life? You're traveling with young Harry, I see?"

"Just a slight accommodation due to a housing issue. Nothing large," Severus said, seeming eager to get away.

"That's quite interesting. Does anyone else know about this?"

"A select few who it concerns. We really must go. Goodbye Augustus," Severus pulled Harry's arm, and they walked away before the man had a chance to say another word.

"Who was that?" Harry asked with a quizzical look.

"An associate from the ministry. He tends to visit Hogwarts for regular check-ups and delivers ministry information to Dumbledore at times." Snape didn't offer any more information, and Harry let the matter go. However, he couldn't help but find something strange about the whole ordeal.

Severus had his own thoughts floating around in his head. This wasn't good. He should have thought about disguising the boy before they got here. If word got out that he was taking care of Harry, he didn't know how he would explain himself.

Snape just hoped that Dumbledore knew what he was doing.

* * *

><p>Harry found the room they were staying in quite cramped, though he was relieved that he and Snape had separate rooms to sleep in.<p>

"I am going back to retrieve our luggage," Snape had said when Harry collapsed into the bed in one of the rooms. After that, I will be meeting with a friend to discuss a business negotiation."

"Never off the clock, are you Snape?" Harry replied outwardly.

Snape raised an eyebrow, but continued on. "I expect you to behave in a proper manner. You shall be back at the hotel by 9 PM. I don't want you to get into any trouble."

"Okay," Harry said simply. Placating Snape was the best way to deal with him, Harry had discovered. "I have a question though...how exactly do I get out of this place? Where ever 'this place' is?"

"You can take the door in the main hall which leads to the outside of the hotel. And I'll let you look around and figure out where we are." Snape smirked at his comment, and left the room without another word.

Harry shook his head. He checked that his wand was still in his back pocket, and then left the room, following the dark corridor back to the foyer. Thankfully, the man from before was not there anymore. Harry saw a door marked "Exit/Sortie", and he went to that door, wondering why the word "Sortie" was on the sign as well. He slowly opened the door, to reveal a wonderful site of a town square, people bustling up and down in shorts, t-shirts, and many f the ladies in dresses. He stepped outside and turned around to enjoy the view, and his eyes passed over a great sight.

The Eiffel Tower.

They were in PARIS?

Harry had never been to Paris. In fact, he'd never really been outside of London at all. Up until 5 years ago, he had been stuck in that damned cupboard for all his life, getting out for school and maybe the occasional trip to the zoo or to the store when the Dursleys couldn't stick him anywhere else. The sun was bright, the view was extravagant, and even though he didn't know any French, he could tell this was going to be a great vacation. Snape enjoyed some glamour as well then, thought Harry.

Although, Harry had just the tiny inkling that coming to Paris wasn't entirely just for Snape himself.

He gave a little smile. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

* * *

><p>Harry spent the whole day walking around the beautiful city that was Paris, exploring the sights, walking through the stores, fooling around by trying to figure out what people were saying. He imagined being at the top of the Eiffel Tower , being able to see for miles and miles away. He thought it would be like the first time he rose a broomstick, flying high for the very first time in his life...or when he rode Buckbeak back in third year, feeling the fear and rush of excitement in his vains.<p>

Harry was enjoying all these marveling sights. At points he felt a little lonely. He wished Ron could have been there, or Hermoine. Or maybe even Sirius. It would've been some great quality time spent with his only family. He shook that thought away before he could become upset. Though alone, he was still having an amazing time.

Harry decided to stop for lunch at a small, cozy French restaurant. As he sat down, he realized that he had no idea how to order, being as he had no French speaking ability. He looked at the menu, and was relieved to see that there were pictures beside every name. He discerned what he thought would taste good from the pictures, just as a waitress came to serve him.

"Bonjour, monseiur. Q'uest-ce que tu aimerais choisir aujourd'hui?" The waitress had a notepad in her hand, and she was smiling, waiting for Harry to reply.

"Oh," Harry hesitated, then looked at his menu. "Uhm... les pâtes avec poulet...and...le jus d'orange?" He was motioning to the picture of spaghetti on the menu, and a picture of orange juice.

The waitress laughed. "You're not from here, are you?" She had a thick accent.

Harry sighed. "Yeah."

"I could tell," the waitress replied. "It's alright, I speak fluent English, so I'll make sure to serve you. One plate of spaghetti and a glace of orange juice, right away."

Harry relaxed in his chair, in a better mood then he's been in for the past month.

"Hello, Mr. Potter. It's quite a...surprise to see you here. Now... what would you be doing in _Paris_?"

Until he heard a voice that sent chills up his spine.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Anyone want to take a stab at who this "voice" could belong to? ;)<strong>


	13. Caught Off Guard

**AN**: I am actually quite happy with how this chapter turned out :D. I hope you guys enjoy it as well! Reviews as always are much appreciated! I love hearing your thoughts, seriously, sometimes reading the reviews is almost better than writing the story :P Love you all!

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><p><strong>Chapter 12: Caught Off Guard<strong>

Harry turned around to see a man with long, silky hair, donned in black, yet fancy, robes, holding a long and dark-coloured cane in his hand.

Harry's heart froze.

"Well?" Lucius Malfoy spoke in a silky, deep voice.

"I thought...I thought you were supposed to be in Azkaban." Harry faltered as he started speaking, but grew the courage to speak more confidently. He was not going to look weak in front of Malfoy Senior.

"I don't believe it is any of your business, Potter, but if you must know...I have a few...special connections, which were able to plead my case for me." Lucius smirked as he spoke. "Being an official in the Ministry, naturally I was able to pull a few strings and convince them of my innocence."

"Innocence?" Harry exclaimed. "You ambushed me and my friends, and nearly killed me!"

"Now hush, Potter, this is not exactly a proper place to shout about such things as these, now is it?" Harry could see the glint in Lucius' eyes. "They were very considerable in understanding that I was put under an Imperius curse and had no control of my immediate actions."

Harry's eyebrow furrowed, anger burning deep inside him. How could he have gotten out of imprisonment in Azkaban...again?

"Now I believe you didn't answer my question. As information serves, aren't you supposed to be situated at your relative's house for the summer?" Lucius asked again, still standing, towering over Harry.

Harry stood up and looked Lucius in the eye. "I don't know how you did it, and you may have thought you got out of this one...but just wait...you won't be able to continue fooling the Ministry for long. They'll see you for who you really are."

An expression of surprise came over Lucius' face at Harry's confrontation. But suddenly, it darkened. Harry slightly jumped as Lucius' cane came down on his shoulder, pressing down, forcing Harry to sit back down on his chair, as Lucius sat down on the chair across from him, all the while Harry trying to keep his face composed.

Lucius brought his face close to Harry's, a frightening look on his face, and spoke in a harsh whisper, "So, you think you know everything, don't you, Potter? You think you know _me_, Potter? If you really think you're right, why don't you...try and prove it?" Harry didn't speak as Lucius' stared him down with a dark, chilling gaze. "I suggest, that you keep your opinions to yourself...for your own safety."

Harry was urging to answer, but he kept silent as Lucius sat back in his chair, a smirk on his face. "Now that we understand eachother, I must ask, what are you doing in Paris? Is anyone aware of your presence here?" It seemed like such a harmless question, however Harry could see a double meaning etched in those words.

"As a matter of fact, yes, there is," Harry answered, keeping his voice calm.

"Oh, there is, is there? Who might that be? Dumbledore? Maybe I could have a word with him then, if he is here with you."

"No, it isn't him," Harry answered, not offering any more information.

"Then who?" Lucius said maliciously, raising his eyebrow.

Harry hesitated. He was starting to panic. He could not very well say he was here with Snape. Who knows what kind of trouble that could get the _both_ of them into.

Lucius smiled when Harry could not think of an answer. "As I suspected, you seem to be here on your own accord. Well, then, Mr. Potter...I believe it is my responsibility to send you back to your proper guardians..." Lucius grabbed Harry's hand, which Harry tried to wrench away, but Lucius held steady.

* * *

><p>Snape had stepped outside for some fresh air, taking a break from his meeting. It was going well so far, which was to Snape's expectations, as he knew how to talk someone into making a deal with him.<p>

He wondered where Harry had gotten to. He had had some doubts about leaving him to roam Paris on his own all day, but he figured the boy could use some fresh air and a change of atmosphere. However, to be on the safe side...Snape reached into his pocket and pulled out a small mirror, just a little larger than his hand. He had received this gift from Dumbledore to help him to catch sneaky Slytherins that sometimes liked to be out at night or roam in places where they shouldn't. He muttered _"Lociato Harry Potter"_, and suddenly it seemed as if a wispy gas was flowing inside the mirror. The gas materialized, and Snape gasped as he saw Harry Potter in the hands of none other than Lucius Malfoy.

What on earth was Lucius doing in Paris? And how did he manage to find Potter?

Snape struggled to think of a plan quickly. There was no way he could leave the boy with Lucius, there was no telling where Lucius would take him if he believe that no one was watching. He sighed, extremely irritated, as he entered back into the cafe.

After rearranging with his client to resume their meeting to the next day, he rushed to a small alleyway in between the cafe and an old hardware store, kept the place Harry was located in his head, and apparated away.

* * *

><p>Harry was stuck. He could not wrench his hand away from Lucius' without making a scene, and he had a feeling doing that would not be a very good idea. However, he couldn't really take his wand out and duel with Lucius either.<p>

"Come, Potter, I'll take you to where you belong," Lucius said maliciously.

"Potter!"

Harry turned around to see Snape walk into the cafe. He looked slightly flustered. Harry didn't know if this could get any worst.

Snape slowly walked towards Harry, and when he reached the two in the corner of the cafe, put his hand on Harry's shoulder. "We must be going. Oh, hello Lucius," Snape looked up, acting surprised to see Lucius there, when in fact he wasn't surprised at all. "What might you be doing all the way in France?"

"Severus. Why, I might say I am surprised to see you here. I have some business to attend to, and just happened to run into young Potter on my way." Lucius explained in a calm manner. "I found him to be alone –"

"He is with me," Severus answered immediately.

"Oh?" Lucius' furrowed his brow. "And what brought on this living agreement?"

"Dumbledore's orders. A temporary arrangement, as Potter here has some housing issues." Snape's face was blank. Harry couldn't tell what he was thinking at all.

"Ah," Lucius answered, a little uncertainly. "Well, best you take care of him, Severus...you never know what danger might come upon him." Lucius smirked, and picked up his cane, and walked straight out of the cafe.

Harry, relieved, turned to Snape and, not knowing whether to thank him or not, blurted out, "How did you know where I am?"

Snape did not answer, but just said, "We're going back to the hotel."

Harry did not know how to react to that, but followed Snape as he promptly walked out of the cafe. Harry had to jog sometimes to keep up with him, and Snape never stopped to let him catch up. By the time they had gotten back to the hotel, Harry had given up on trying to keep up with him, and walked at a slower pace behind him, just making sure to keep him in sight.

He figured Snape was upset at the encounter, but where did Harry become at fault for this? It certainly seemed that Snape's annoyance was directed at him. Then again, Snape was never reasonable when it came to Harry. He didn't know why it seemed to bother him a little more than usual. It was completely unfair...it had been Snape who had let him roam on his own anyways, hadn't it?

When they got back to the hotel room, Snape didn't address Harry as he went to the fridge, pulled out a carton of milk, filled a glass, and walked to his room. Harry shook his head, and returned to his room, where he lay down in his bed. Soon enough, he fell asleep.

* * *

><p>When Harry woke up, he heard voices wafting in through his slightly-opened door. He sat up in his bed, rubbed his sleepy eyes, and looked at the clock. It was 10:30 PM. He got out of his bed, and walked over to his front door, opening it a little more in order to be able to hear it.<p>

"What was he doing here?" He heard a voice say harshly.

"That, I am not sure," said another voice, calmer. "But I think we can believe that they are aware of your whereabouts."

He heard a frustrated sigh. "I should have figured. Still, it would have proved a lot easier if they just did... _not _know."

"Do you fear they suspect?" Harry suddenly recognized that the second, calm voice was the familiar voice of Dumbledore, and he was obviously talking to Snape. Harry stepped out his room, and walked slowly down the hallway. As the hotel room was styled more as an apartment than an actual hotel room (he figured that wizards liked to have the extra space), there was a long hallway which lead to the "sitting area" of the hotel room. He stopped just before the hallway opened, and leaned in to listen again.

"I don't believe so. Lucius believes it is on your orders. He knows my situation. I think he might atleast partly believe what I am saying. Either way, he cannot question it, knowing my connection to the Dark Lord's plans. However...it complicates things."

"Well don't fret, my boy. Harry wasn't harmed, I'm sure it's just a little 'snag in the plan', as they might say," Dumbledore said reassuringly.

"Potter." Harry noticed the disgusted tone Snape used. "That foolish boy, just roaming around, not even knowing how to protect himself."

"How could he?" Dumbledore questioned. "He was in a conveniently located muggle cafe, he could not very much protect himself through magical means. It is thankful that you were able to reach him in time."

"He's complicating things! Having to watch him at every moment, he's like a little child! I had to delay a very important deal that I could have closed if I had been able to _finish_it." Snape sighed. "You know, this is my vacation as well. I don't know what I was thinking when I agreed to this. Couldn't you just take him, Albus?"

"I have many issues to attend to at the present moment...Harry would not be very safe with me, regretfully." Dumbledore sighed.

Snape breathed in a whisper. "That boy will always be like his father. Arrogant, foolish, not taking precautions..."

At this point, Harry started to feel sick to his stomach. It was not even the fact that Snape had pulled the 'James' card. It was the fact that it seemed like nobody wanted him around. No one wanted to be responsible for the troublesome boy...not even Dumbledore.

He slowly walked back towards his room, heart at his feet, and closed the door, careful not to make a sound. He wanted to leave. He wanted to run off. He wanted to go to some place better than this.

But this time, he stayed. Because he didn't have anywhere to go, anyways. As much as he would never have chosen this arrangement on his own...this _was_ the best he had.

He lay down in his bed, a lone tear slipping down his cheek. He thought about Sirius. He thought about his dad. He thought about his mom.

He fell into a fitful sleep, tears falling down in face, ones he did not bother to wipe away.

* * *

><p>"Severus, I figure you should probably know by now...there were a couple of Dementors spotted in Little Whinging last night."<p>

"What?" Severus said in a shock. It was late into the night, almost 1 AM, and both Dumbledore and Severus were sitting with a hot cup of tea on their laps in the sitting area.

Dumbledore nodded, with a sad face. "Arabella Figg notified the Order as soon as she saw them roaming around Privet Drive. Kingsley and Lupin sent them off before they could do any harm."

"But they couldn't have found Potter's house, could they?" Snape said worriedly, still shocked at the news.

"No, the Fidelius Charm is still well in effect," Dumbledore replied. "But I have to admit, it's rather curious, don't you think?"

"I'm not so sure. I think they're watching," Snape replied, looking down at his hands in his lap.

"Do you? That certainly seems like an interesting theory," said Dumbledore simply.

"Don't even pretend to kid around, Albus!" Snape shouted at Dumbledore. Dumbledore just raised an eyebrow, and Snape's anger disappeared as soon as it had burst out. He put his head in his hands. "I apologize. But...why did this have to happen? Who knew one foolish boy could be so troublesome?"

"It's not something he can help, Severus," Dumbledore said sadly. He moved over and sat down beside Severus, putting a hand on his shoulder. "He never chose any of this, Severus, you must understand that."

Severus let out another frustrated sigh. It was hard for him to accept this.

"Why are you having such a hard time giving the boy a little consideration?" Dumbledore asked softly.

"It's not like you don't already know, Albus," Snape said, rolling his eyes in the process. Dumbledore may have been his teacher back in Hogwarts, but he wasn't a little kid anymore.

"Enlighten me," Dumbledore replied, leaning back against the sofa, waiting.

"He's so much like that ignorant James Potter. Looking at him is like looking into the face of the fool himself!"  
>Dumbledore considered this for a second. "Do you believe so? If you asked me, I would say he has much of the qualities as Lily, actually."<p>

Snape looked up, face surprised, at the mention of Lily's name.

"What...what are you talking about?" He faltered as he tried to speak.

"He's loyal, he's admirable, and has never tried to hurt a soul in his life. He'd lay down his life for his friends. He has a kind heart, Severus, one that doesn't deal well with neglect.." Dumbledore gave Snape a knowing look at this point, one that Severus turned away from.

"He looks so much life him," Snape muttered, his voice scratchy.

"Except for his eyes."

Snape's eyebrows rose as he heard Dumbledore utter those words. Those eyes. Those eyes that could always mesmerize him, that he felt sending him to another world, those beautiful, deep eyes...a tear fell down his cheek, as he stood up, away from Dumbledore, to one of the windows in the building, looking out to the scenery below.

What was he to do? Things were already complicated enough now that Lucius knew about Potter staying with him. It was going to be hard getting around that.

But he had a bigger problem on his hands. Was he wrong about Potter? Could he put his prejudices past him and give the boy a chance? Snape didn't know if he was strong enough to do that.

It seemed like a good idea at the time. A safe idea. But now...could the two really last through the summer together?

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong> **As you can see, I'm toying with the storyline here. In the original Harry Potter story, in the Order of the Pheonix, Lucius is defeated during the battle in the Hall of Prophecies, and is sent to Azkaban for his crimes. However, I am going a bit off-canon with this part of the storyline, you'll come to see why later in the story. Just a little explanation if anyone was wondering :)**


	14. An Agreement

**A/N:** After another 3-week hiatus, here is the next chapter :) I appreciate the people who still continue to read my story, even though the time between chapter updates might be a little long. I appreciate the understanding and hope you will still continue to read as I get a more regular writing schedule :D And I also appreciate the lovely reviews :) The story will start to take more of a different direction starting from here. Hope you enjoy the chapter :D

P.S: If you ever want to check out updates on my stories, for example, if I have not posted a chapter in awhile, around a month or so, I will update my profile explaining the reason for the hiatus, as I don't like to leave you guys hanging :/ Also, that is where I answer reviewer's questions, if any, and clear up mistakes/give explanations for things in my story that might have been mentioned by reviewers. Thanks! :)

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><p><strong>Chapter 13: An Agreement<strong>

Harry woke up with the sun, turning over in his bed, even attempting to put the pillow over his head in order to block the light. He didn't feel like getting out of bed yet. He opened one eye to see what time it was.

11:00 AM. That was weird, Snape usually had him wake up no later than 9:00 AM. It was unusual that Snape let him sleep in this late.

He sighed, and got up out of his bed, stopping to stretch before he put on his glasses. He slowly walked out of his room, and as soon as he stepped out of the room, he smelled the inviting scent of eggs and bacon. However, he didn't hear any sounds of crackling oil and sizzling food that he usually heard in the morning.

He realized that when he entered the kitchen, no one was there.

There was, however, a plate of bacon and eggs sitting on the table, with a glass of milk, and a note laying against the glass.

Curious, Harry walked over to the food, picked up the note, unfolded it carefully and read:

_I will be with my client for a good part of the morning. I shall return around 2:00. Don't eat lunch. You may leave the hotel for a little while, but stay close. Be back by 2:00._

Written in true Snape style, Harry thought to himself.

Harry didn't take long to eat his breakfast, he was quite hungry. The food felt good, entering his empty stomach. He didn't realize how dehydrated he was until he took a sip of the milk. He finished it in one gulp, and got up to fill it with some more.

When he was done, he got up and went over to the sitting room of the little "hotel apartment". He considered reading for a bit, but none of the books on the shelf looked like anything of interest. He glanced to his side at the big, old-style looking television that sat in a little crook at the center of the room. He used to watch television at the Dursleys, usually from the next room where none of the wretched family could see him. They were all stupid, superficial muggle shows, but at the time, he was fascinated by it, maybe because he was barely able to watch it without hiding behind a wall.

He sat down on the couch, and glanced around for the small remote control he had always seen Dudley use when he wanted to open the television or to change the channel. However, he couldn't find it. After a little more looking, he finally found the remote under one of the couch cushions. He turned on the television. When the picture finally materialized, he saw that a show was starting. The show was called "Boy Meets World".

Harry was skeptical at first, but after the first half-hour episode (there was a full day marathon of this episode, as the channel had stated), he thought that it was an interesting show. It mainly dealt with muggle problems and relationships, but he felt it was a nice change to be absorbed in the muggle world for once, instead of the hectic life he was dealing with right now.

When Snape returned at 2:30 PM, Harry's eyes were still glued to the television, though it seemed to Snape as if he was starting to doze off. When he closed the door, Harry jumped, looked at Snape, and frantically tried to look for the remote. Snape raised his eyebrow as Harry searched. Unable to find it, Harry gave up and gave Snape a weak look. "Sorry," he apologized, as he didn't know whether he was allowed to be using the television or not.

Snape walked over to the television and saw what show he was watching. His eyes softened a bit as he saw the familiar Cory and Topanga on the screen. He remembered how he used to watch this show with his mother during his childhood. Her being a witch, he found it weird at first that she'd taken such a liking to a muggle show, but he could see what caught her eye: the real relationships, the close bonds...he would spend time watching the show with her just so that they could have some time alone together. He introduced the show to Lily one summer, and she instantly got hooked. The show held a lot of memories.

He cleared his throat, turned over to Harry, and giving him a look with as less glare as he was capable of, he spoke up. "Did you go out at all today?"

"Nope," Harry said sleepily, rubbing his eyes. "Just sat inside." His answer was short.

Snape shook his head, but once he saw the dark glare that had suddenly appeared on Harry's face, surprised, he answered, "Are you hungry?"

"Not really," Harry answered.

Snape waited for a moment, but Harry neither offered any other reply, or looked like he was going to. Snape opened his mouth to reply with a snarky comment, but he stopped himself, took a deep breath, and came over to sit down beside Harry.

Harry was the one to raise his eyebrows when he saw Snape sit down beside him, but he moved over to make room for him.

Snape took another long breath, and exhaled. "Mr Potter..." Snape started. "Harry...I want to ask you something. What do you think of your living situation at the moment?"

Harry was caught off guard. He didn't know what game Snape was playing, or how he should reply. "Uhm, it's alright, I guess."

"Look," Snape said. "I know this has not been enjoyable for you. I understand you don't want to be here, but., I'm willing to develop more of a...friendlier relationship with you, as I haven't been the most pleasant to be around." It took all of his strength to utter those few sentences, and was now waiting almost in fear of Harry's reaction.

Harry was quiet. After about 30 seconds of silence, Snape almost had the urge to slap Harry right across the face if he did not reply. Slowly, Harry did reply, "Well...it wasn't all that bad, actually."

Snape was quite surprised by his answer, but kept his face skeptical. "Was it?"

"Yeah. Well, better than I would have ever had at the Dursleys..." Harry coughed loudly, almost trying to hide what he had just said. Harry took a breath. "I never really have a good time at the Dursley's at all. In fact, it's like I'm more their servant than their nephew." Harry said this quietly, and Snape wondered whether Harry was still talking to him or just to himself. "When I came to Hogwarts, it's as if I'd found my real home...my real friends..."

Snape found himself flashing back to a time in his own life...a time where family was not always the best to be around...a broken relationship with his father...it was only when he had attended Hogwarts, did he start feeling like he was someone...someone special.

Smape knew what it was like for Harry. He understood. He knew the pain, the rejection...the loneliness.  
>Harry seemed to come out of his daze and cleared his throat. "So...you want to be 'friendlier' to me?" Snape could see Harry tried to hide his snicker, but Snape noticed. "You find it amusing?"<p>

Harry didn't answer. Snape could see that the snicker had been more than just amusement, but with a but of bitterness in it. Suddenly Harry spoke up, "Did Dumbledore make you do this?"

"What?" Snape said surprisedly.

"You heard me. Did Dumbledore put you up to this? Why else would you be saying any of these things? You've never even spoken to me without spite in your voice for the past 5 years. Why would you mean any of it now? I know you can't stand me. It's probably part of Dumbledore's plan, isn't it?" Harry spoke quickly, that Snape could not get a word in edgewise. Finally Snape put up his hand to stop Harry's tirade. Harry became quiet, but a bitter look remained on his face.

Snape got up and walked towards the window. He was facing away from Harry. "You know, I saw you...once...when you were a baby."

Harry's eyes rose up, obviously not expecting Snape to say that. "Really?"

"Yes," Snape replied slowly. "It was a month or two after you were born. I was passing by your parents' house, and I saw your mother sitting on the porch, holding you in her arms. She saw me pass by, and she gave a little wave. You were so little." Snape stopped talking for a moment, glancing towards the television that still hummed in the background. "Your mother used to watch that show."

Slowly, Harry smiled. "She did?"

"She loved it. I used to watch it with her all the time," Snape replied, looking at Harry's face, seeing it become a little brighter, with the thought of one connection to his mother.

Snape cleared his throat, and Harry turned back to look towards him. "Now..." he started, "if we are in agreement...I think we could probably start being more civil towards eachother." Snape struggled to get the words out properly. "We could...become more like _friends_, than enemies."

Harry didn't say anything for a moment. But after a minute, he lifted up his hand towards Snape. "Agreed." Snape lifted his own arm and shook Harry's hand, sealing the agreement. Harry smiled slightly. Snape gripped his arm tightly and added, "Though if you ever disobey me, you will wish you were back at the Dursleys."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Of course."

Snape looked at Harry, seeing how much he'd changed in the past 5 years. He was a young foolish boy back in first year, and, although still being foolish now, he understood him more. It would take time. But maybe they could work out this living arrangement after all.

Only time would tell. But for some reason, Snape was not dreading it. He was actually looking a little forward to it. Only slightly. He would never admit, but he was a little glad that he wouldn't spend his summer alone this year.

* * *

><p>Snape was sitting at the keyboard when Dumbledore appeared through the Floo fireplace that was set up in the sitting area.<p>

"You make a lot of house visits now, don't you Albus?" Snape said, seeing the long, silver beard in the corner of his eye.

Dumbledore chuckled. "You're not used to having this many house visitors, are you?"

"Hardly," replied Snape. "Might I ask why you are here?"

"Well, my boy, I just thought I'd check in and see how things are going," Dumbledore said with a smile.

Snape turned around to face the old man in the face. "Or did you come to check if I had talked to Harry?"

Dumbledore's smile remained on his face, but he had a knowing look in his eye. After a moment, he said softly, "You always know me, Severus. However, you also know that I have your best interests at heart." He didn't say it as a question, but as a statement.

"Either way, I think you already know the answer to your question." Snape plunked a Middle C on the keyboard. He then said suddenly, "When I came to you...at the beginning of all this...you took me in. You protected me. You helped me, when I didn't have anyone to depend on."

Dumbledore sat with a calm face as Snape spoke. When Snape stopped speaking, he said slowly, "Well, you're doing quite the same thing with Harry."

Snape chuckled. "Harry doesn't need me. He has friends, he has many people who care about him."

"I think he needs you more than you believe. And vice versa," Dumbledore replied.

Snape looked up into Dumbledore's eyes as he said this. "What are you talking about?"

Dumbledore patted Snape's shoulder. "Time will tell, my boy."

Snape turned away, back towards the piano, shaking his head slightly. Dumbledore was never one to come out with something straight. But he couldn't understand what he'd said. Since when would he need the help of a child? He doubted the Headmaster's words, but was there any point in arguing? Time would tell.

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><p><strong>AN: The show I use in this chapter, "Boy Meets World", might seem random, but if you know the show, you would understand where I use it and why. If you want to search up the show (it's an AMAZING show, if you enjoy the whole "real life" type of shows that go on for seven seasons, but not gossip-girl type, you'd love it, its very touching), every episode of the show is on Youtube.**

**EDIT: A couple of reviewers mentioned that my timeline was a little bit off, seeing as the show I used, "Boy Meets World", is more of an 80s/90s sitcom, and the story is situated in the 70s. I do apologize for that, it was a mistake, I should have done a little bit more research in that :/ As for that reference, don't mind the off-timeline, I will definitely remember to do more research before I make real-life references in my stories. But thank you for bringing it up :) **


	15. A Game of Quidditch

**A/N:**I have to admit the first part of this chapter was fun for me to write, because, as a Canadian, I study french, however I have continued it up until Grade 12 right now, instead of stopping at Grade 9 like most do, and I plan to make it one of my majors in university. It was fun writing the short dialogue for this chapter. As well, the bracelet mentioned in this chapter is based on and inspired by a bracelet in the Harry Potter Noble Collection by Warner Bros., called "The Quidditch Golden Snitch Bracelet," which is available for purchase. Google it if you're interested and I'm sure you can find it :) I do hope you enjoy this chapter! It's a bit of a longer one :D

**Edit****:** I would like to personally apologize to anyone who found offense in the little comment about the German language. I truly didn't mean to be offensive to anyone or to insult this language. I do appreciate the reviewers who spoke up about this in a kind manner, I completely understand how you guys felt. I have actually read this part over, and even I agree that Snape would not have said as closed-minded as that. You will find that I have edited this part, which might seem a little inconsistent, but I changed it because, for one, I felt it was not an appreciative comment, which I regret, and as well, I do not feel that this is how I want Snape depicted. I do hope you guys will forgive me for my stupid little mistake :) (If you have not read the chapter yet, you can ignore this edit, this message is more meant for those who have already read the chapter and expressed this concern in the reviews).

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><p><strong>Chapter 14: A Game of Quidditch<strong>

The rest of the vacation passed by quite enjoyably. Harry was skeptical about this new 'relationship' that Snape had suggested, but it served to make things more peaceful and less...tense, if there was any way Harry could describe it. Harry had always had an inkling of a feeling that Snape was loathing every moment that they had spent together so far, but now, whether Dumbledore had put him up to it or not, it seemed like he was making an effort to be more civil.

They spent a couple of days devoted to sight-seeing. They signed up for a river cruise called "Bateaux-Mouches", that ran along the river Seine, where they passed the L'ouvre, Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, Musée D'orsay, and a variety of other popular Parisian monuments. They had personally visited the L'ouvre (Harry had never seen classical art up close, and although Harry was not an artist, it wasn't hard for him to appreciate the great classical artworks that he saw), and had also visited the Statue of Liberty – Harry had been quite confused, as he had learned earlier in his life the Statue of Liberty was located in the United States, with which Snape informed him that the Statue of Liberty had originally been a gift from France to the US, and that Paris had their own, smaller version of the statue. While Harry was reading the Muggle guidebook Snape had handed him at the beginning of the day, he had discovered that Paris only used to be an island, named _IÎe De La Cité. _He found it fascinating that this vibrant city used to only span the length of a small island.

Harry had also amusingly suggested that they go watch the production of _Moulin_ _Rouge_ that was playing in a local theatre, to which Snape had sighed, rolling his eyes.

At one point during the trip, they had come across the magnificent view of the riverbank. Snape had given Harry a camera to carry during the trip, so, partly to annoy Snape, and also because he did want a snapshot of the view, he had went over to Snape, who was checking the guide book, and had said, "Can we get someone to take a picture of us?"

Snape had given him a quizzical and un-encouraging look. "I hardly think that's necessary, Mr. Potter."

Harry smirked. "Oh come on, it's a beautiful view. Humour me."

Snape shook his head, but put down the knapsack he was carrying, placing the guidebook beside it. Harry had spotted a young lady walking past them, and he ran over to her, tapping her on the shoulder. She turned around, with a friendly smile on her face. Harry tried to phrase his question, but unfortunately, he didn't know much french.

"Uhmm...Madame...s'il vous plait..." He held up the camera, gesturing towards the button that took the photo, enacting the motion of taking a picture. The young woman chuckled at his attempt, but she nodded, taking the camera. Harry walked back over to Snape, who was standing rather stiffly, waiting for Harry to return. When he did, Harry turned around, looking at the camera, smiling a huge, radiant small, looking to be amusing, while only the ends of Snape's mouth turned up the tiniest fraction before the flash flicked as the lady snapped the picture. She walked over to the pair and returned the camera to Harry. As Harry was going through the images, the lady turned to Snape and said, "Vous avez un beau fils."

"Pardon? Qu'avez-vous dit?" Harry head shot up as he heard Snape speaking in fluent french to the woman as well.

"Ton fils. Il ne vous ressemble pas, mais il semble qu'il ait été élevé bien." The lady smiled at Snape, and Harry noticed that Snape had a pain-stricken look on his face. However, Harry could not understand one word of what the lady was saying.

"Mais..." Harry saw Snape hesitate as he answered. "...Merci madame. Je peux vous assurer, il est très bien gardé.

"Bien, je suis sûr que vous l'aimez très beaucoup," the lady answered with a warm look towards both of them. Snape only managed a short nod before the lady waved and walked away, leaving Harry very curiously wondering what had just happened. Harry hesitated, as Snape had a strange look on his face, before asking, "You know how to speak French?"

Snape turned his head to look at Harry, rolling his eyes. "I would think that would be obvious by now, don't you think?"

Harry chuckled and shook his head. "How do you _know _how to speak french?"

"As it so happens, every Hogwarts professor must know at least one another language in order to accommodate various students," Snape replied. Harry's eyebrows rose.

"Every Hogwarts professor knows a different language?"

"That is correct," Snape answered as he was organizing through his knapsack, trying to find the case in which he kept the camera. "Professor McGonagall, for example, happens to also speak Spanish."

Harry was surprised. "Really?" he said incredulously. "What does Professor Dumbledore speak, then?"

Snape smirked as he replied, "Professor Dumbledore, on the other hand, knows how to speak German."

Harry smiled at the thought of Professor Dumbledore carrying a conversation in the German tongue. "I've heard it's kind of a rough tongue," Harry replied.

"A cliche, sadly accepted by much of the general population who does not have personal experience with the language," Snape replied adamantly. "One must not judge objectively, but must be open-minded to experience the many different languages and cultures existent in this world. I can assure you, even though German is not perfect, no language really is. Many other languages have certain parts that are not so pleasant, but they are all proper-sounding languages all the same. No one is perfect."

Harry felt as if there was a hidden double-meaning in the short lecture, but there was a more pressing question in his mind that seemed to take over.

"So," Harry said a moment later, as they were walking into the busy streets ahead. "What were you talking to that lady about?"

Harry saw his professor's shoulders tense, but his face remained composed and passive. "She believed that you were my son."

"Oh," Harry replied, not knowing what to make of the comment. He wanted to ask further, but he could sense that the conversation would not go anywhere well if he continued pestering about it, so he let it go, contemplating in his head.

While they continued walking through the streets of Paris, Snape was also thinking about the short talk he had had with the young lady.

"_You have a good looking son."_

"_Pardon? What did you say?" Snape had been surprised, unsure if he had heard her right._

"_Your son. He doesn't look like you, but it looks like he has been brought up well." _

"_But..." Snape was torn, struggling to digest the comment." "...Thank you, madam. I can assure you, he is well taken care of."_

"_Well, you must love him very much."_

Snape had told Harry that she thought he was his son.

However, he didn't tell Harry that he didn't deny it.

* * *

><p>Harry was sitting on the comfortable couch back at Spinner's End, working on his Transfiguration homework. He had left his summer assignments to the side long enough, and he figured that he should get a start on them before the summer actually ended. He was wearing a bracelet on his arm, adorned with tiny snitches, linked together by their silver wings, a bracelet that Snape had purchased for him when they had visited a small wizarding village in Paris. Harry had at first thought that wearing a bracelet made him seem feminine, but he soon grew to like the thin bracelet hanging around his wrist. He would take it in his hand, as he did now, and finger one of the snitches, remembering the time he caught his first snitch, the time he had almost swallowed the thing whole.<p>

Snape was preparing lunch, as he looked over and saw Harry pondering over the roll of parchment, sticking the end of the quill in his mouth as he thought of what to write next. Harry had spent the last couple days after the trip working on his assignments, and frankly, Snape had found it a little strange, given him knowing, even without his own prejudices, that Harry did not enjoy doing schoolwork.

Harry was in the middle of explaining the danger of mispronouncing a word in a transfiguration spell (he had learned that it could mean be the difference between transfiguring a mouse into a house cat or a ferocious lion), when he saw a plate placed on the table in front of him. He looked up to see Snape take his own plate of food and sit in the loveseat on the side of the table. Harry picked up the sandwich and bit into it.

"Chicken. Funny how you know, sir" Harry replied with his mouth full of the delicious flavour of chicken and melted cheese.

"Well I presumed, after seeing every dish that you had ordered during our vacation had some type of chicken product in it, that you had an affinitive liking to it," Snape replied before taking a bite out of his sandwich.

"Hmmm," Harry mused as he chewed. "Well, I had never - "

"Chew and swallow your food _before_you speak, Mr. Potter," Snape interrupted exasperatedly. Harry rolled his eyes, swallowed his food, and began again.

"_Well_, I had never been able to eat chicken at the Dursleys. I had tried it once, when Aunt Petunia had made chicken pasta, and had left it sitting in a pot when the whole lot of them went out to by groceries. It was delicious." Harry shrugged matter-of-factly as he took another bite out of the sandwich. Harry tugged at the shirt he was wearing, one of Dudley's old sweaters that had become far too short for him, and it did not go unnoticed by Snape when Harry tried to pull it down.

"Growing out of your clothes, I see?" Snape said.

Harry looked down at the worn wool sweater, and shrugged again. "I guess. It's fine though."

Snape looked pointedly down at his sweater, and his gaze drifted to the too-short sweatpants. "What happened to all the new clothes we had purchased?"

Harry remembered the little shopping trip the two of them had taken around the beginning of their summer together. "Maybe I feel more comfortable in these clothes?" Harry did not want to admit that he felt uncomfortable wearing clothes that his loathed – or maybe previously-loathed – Potions Master had bought for him. More then that, he had felt ashamed that he had needed Snape's assistance in order for him to actually have clothes that were new and fit him. A little bit of his Gryffindor pride stood strong in a little matter of dress.

"Well, I can completely understand why you would feel more comfortable wearing _these_ clothes," Snape said, giving the clothes a skeptical look. "When your done with your assignment, you shall change into one of the more appropriate clothes you now own."

Harry sighed softly, but did not protest again. He went back to studying his roll of parchment, his brow furrowing as he tried to think of more he could write about improper pronunciations of spells. They sat in silence for awhile, taking small bites out of their sandwiches. It was not an awkward silence, but more of a companionable one, in which the only sound heard was the sound of them chewing their food. When Snape had finished his food, he stood up, walking over to the kitchen to place his plate in the sink in his kitchen. He broke the silence by mentioning casually, "When was the last time you talked to your friends?"

"Hmm?" Harry had looked up from his assignment, taking a second to register what Snape had asked. "Oh, well, maybe a week ago? We'd been sending regular owls to eachother when I was back at the Dursleys." Harry quickly turned back to his work, but Snape had caught a look that had flitted across the boy's face before he had looked away: a look of loneliness, perhaps?

The truth was, Harry had not spoken to them once since a week and a half ago, the one letter he had sent them in the duration of Harry's stay at Spinner's End being only a couple of days after he had arrived at Snape's house.

But Snape did not make it apparent that he had noticed. He just turned to the sink and started casually, "I have spoken to Professor Dumbledore..."

Harry looked at Snape, his face looking a little brighter. "What did he say?"

"Let me _finish_, Mr. Potter," Snape sighed. "As I was saying, I have spoken to Professor Dumbledore, and he has suggested that you spend a couple of days with your friends, as you have not seen much company other than Death Eaters."

Harry's face paled for a second, being reminded of those too-close encounters, but he shook it off. "Really? Where, here?" Snape caught the twinge of doubt in Harry's voice as he said that, and turned around to look at him, smirking.

"Location had not been determined as of yet, Mr. Potter." Harry seemed to breathe a tiny sigh of relief when Snape spoke. As he thought of how nice it would be to see his friends again, he was reminded of something. "Professor?" Harry said tentatively.

"Yes?" Snape answered, raising an eyebrow.

"Well...I brought my broom with me from the Dursley's, and….seeing as I haven't been able to practice Quidditch the whole summer, and I mean, maybe since I will have some time with Ron to practice...maybe I could just brush up on my flying skills?" Harry stammered his way through the sentence, and waited tensely. He didn't think Snape would agree, but he figured it wouldn't hurt to try.

Snape didn't reply for a few moments. When he finally spoke, he sighed and said, "Very well, go fetch your broom." Harry almost jumped off from the couch in excitement, and Snape shook his head as he watched him run upstairs. Snape continued to wash the dishes (he had the habit of ashing them himself instead of using magic, from back when he used to live with his muggle father).

"Remember to change!" Snape yelled up the stairs, and he chuckled as he heard the audible groan that came from Harry's room.

After no more than 10 minutes, Harry ran down the stairs, grasping his beloved Firebolt in his hand. Snape turned around, and noticed that Harry had indeed listened and changed into one of the t-shirts they have purchased, and a pair of dark-washed denim jeans. Snape gave him a once over, particularly curious about the t-shirt he had chosen to wear. As he recalled it, Harry had strongly objecting to buy it, a t-shirt with a pattern of green swirls, etched with a black pattern within the green, but had finally agreed after Snape's insistence. Snape was caught with a slight feeling of satisfaction at Harry choosing this t-shirt to wear, but shook it off and spoke directly to Harry. "Are you ready?"

"Yep." Harry tried to look calm, but he was too excited about finally being able to fly on his broom, especially after that drasted Umbridge had put a Quidditch ban on him during his fifth year. Harry started to run towards the door that led to a small backyard, when he heard a spell being shot, and a translucent barrier materialized right in front of the door. Harry turned around to look at Snape, who was just putting down his wand. Harry gave him a look that clearly said, "What the heck was that about?"

"What exactly are you _thinking_, Potter?" Snape admonished. "That you're going to suddenly start flying on a broom in the sky, in a muggle neighbourhood...in a backyard that's probably less than a quarter of the lengh of a Quidditch pitch?"

"Oh," Harry said, his excitement deflating. "But if not here, then where?"

Snape uttered a spell, and the barrier disappeared. He held out his hand, saying, "We're going to go somewhere a bit more...open."

Harry stood there, confused for a second, before realizing that Snape wanted him to grab his hand. He walked up to him, slowly gripping his hand, and they disappeared on the spot.

* * *

><p>Harry was never going to get used to the feeling of apparition. However, he didn't have much time to think about that, as he opened his eyes and was looking at huge expanse of empty field. He had no idea where he was however. Snape's voice startled him as he broke the silence.<p>

"You might be wondering where we are. We are in a field close by to my home that me and Lily used to visit quite often during our summers here."

Harry looked around. It was very green, and he could see past the horizon, nothing but space. He could see a forest in the far distance, and a couple of houses sparsely apart from each other. It was definitely a great place to fly – it was quite barren. But a thought suddenly came to him.

"Professor, if this is close by to your house, isn't there a likely chance a muggle will pass by?"

Snape did not answer, but instead turned around and viewed the expanse of land like a forgotten memory. He took his wand out of his robes, and waved it in a complicated fashion in the air, muttering a stream of Latin that Harry could not understand. When he was finished, he turned to Harry. "No one usually passes this way, as I had discovered it when I was child, while exploring past the grounds of my house. Lily and I spent countless hours just running through the field, doing whatever our hearts desired." Snape realized he was going down memory lane, so he gained back his train of thought and started to speak again. "I have also just put up a couple of Muggle protection charms around the area, so we will not be pestered by any unwanted visitors."

"Oh," Harry replied. "Alright then...can I fly now?" He was itching to just mount his broom and kick off into the air.

Snape nodded. "Do not go farther than the forest you see in the distance. Believe me, I have ways of bringing you back forcibly if you stray past those grounds."

Harry nodded as well, more amused than offended. He mounted his broom, gave a kick off of the ground, and off he went.

He thought he might have been a little rusty at first, having not flown for over half a year, but he realized that flying a broom for him was just like riding a bicycle, as the children back at his old elementary school used to say. You never forgot it. It was more than that though...it's as if the air _spoke_ to him. He knew how to weave through the breeze, to make figure eights as he sliced through the sky. He considered flying upside down for a minute, but wasn't willing to have a hex thrown at him by Snape. After soaring for what felt like half an hour, but figured was more like 15 minutes, he lowered himself back down to the ground. He found Snape sitting in a beach chair (most likely transfigured), reading a book. Harry only got a glimpse of the title, which he found to be "Macbeth", before Snape looked up, saw Harry standing there, and put the book down on his lap, raising his eyebrows.

"Yes, Mr. Potter? I would have figured you'd be enjoying your free time flying right about now."

"Yeah, I know, but..." Harry hesitated. He didn't want to ask Snape for too much, as he wasn't accustomed to ever really getting what he asked for. "...I was wondering if there was any chance you could transfigure a Quidditch set for me. I mean, with the quaffles, and bludgers, and the snitch..."

Snape's eyes were blank for a second, as he took out his wand and muttered a spell, and there appeared a fully equipped Quidditch set, much like the one Oliver Wood had showed him the first time Harry had ever played Quidditch. He walked up to the metal box, knelt down, and snapped open the silver locks. When he lifted the cover, he saw the familiar bludgers struggling against the coils that held them to the box. His eyes passed over the quaffles as he found what he was really looking for: the socket that held the golden snitch. He took the snitch, letting it sit in the palm of his hand, as it's wings appeared and it started to flutter, not even taking a second to fly out of his palm and zoom into the sky. Harry jumped back onto his broom with joy and took off after the snitch, flying this way and that, trying to catch it.

Snape looked up from his book as Harry was chasing the snitch, seeing the joyous look on his face, almost like a child introduced to a new toy. His eyes softened just a bit as his gaze drifted back to the book in his hand.

After another half an hour of this, Harry came back down to the ground, a little tired out from all the excess flying. He sat down in the ground with the golden snitch in his hand, finally having been able to catch it after almost crashing into a tree.

"I wish Ron was here right now." Harry said, talking to himself more than anyone else, but Snape heard the boy's words. "It'd be nice to throw around the Quaffle with him."

Harry was not aware that Snape was listening, or that Snape had gotten up and apparated away until he heard the sharp crack. He turned around, and upon not seeing Snape seated in the chair, he started to worry. Was this his master plan, then? Take him out to the middle of nowhere and leave him to fend for himself?

But Harry needn't worry for too long, for Snape apparated back after no more than 30 seconds, holding an old, weathered down broom. Harry's eyebrows really rose up his face as he saw the broom in the Potion Master's hand.

Snape chuckled. "What's the matter? I thought you were saying that you wanted a Quidditch partner? I think myself to be fair game."

"You _know _how to play Quidditch?" Harry said incredulously.

"Why, Potter, I'm offended that you believe I would not know how to play Quidditch. I am a Head of House, aren't I? I am responsible for Slytherin's Quidditch team. As well, do you not remember the game I refereed the game between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff in your first year?"

Harry did remember that game. He remembered how he believed Snape was out to kill him during his first year, including that first stunt with his broom going out of control. Harry smiled just then.

"Just because you know how to referee, doesn't mean you know how to _play, _right?" Harry taunted Snape as he lifted his hand, and let the snitch open it's wings again and soar into the sky, while Harry turned around to look at Snape, who had a look on his face that was a cross between surprised and amused. "Let's see who can catch the Snitch first, shall we?"

Harry then kicked off into the air, already in hot pursuit of the snitch. Snape mounted his broom just then, gave a large sigh, and kicked off into the air.

He didn't know what he was doing. He didn't know why he was indulging this reckless, childish behaviour. Did he ever think that he would be back on a broom after what must have been years, twisting and turning through the air, trying to catch a golden snitch before none other than _Harry Potter? _If someone had told him this day would come, he would have laughed in their face.

But there they were, the two of them zipping up, and down, from side to side, and in circles, following the sneaky little golden ball. Snape, ofcourse, did not have the agility and the knack for flying as Harry did, especially given the fact that it had been too long since he had mounted a broom. After about 15 minutes, Harry was finally the one to catch the snitch. He held it in his hand, like a small trophy, grinning.

Snape grunted as he stopped in midair, a little dizzy from all the turning. "In my defense, I had always been a beater."

"Did you ever play on the Slytherin team?" Harry asked, slowing down in the air as well.

"I covered for about half of a term in my fourth year. I played more or so for leisure than for competition. Or atleast, I used to," Snape replied, flying down to the ground, grabbing a Quaffle, and flying back in the air. For the next 20 minutes, they threw the Quaffle around, trying to get past eachother, even transfiguring a Quidditch hoop at one point, where Harry tried out playing a Keeper, as Snape made shot after shot at Harry. Harry had almost managed to knock his head into the post at one point, and Snape laughed as he watched Harry narrowly miss a collision, trying to gain control of his broom again. However, it wasn't an evil, sinister laugh. It was a laugh that Snape had not really had for a long time, a laugh of enjoyment, of pure release. Harry seemed surprised at first, but smiled as he saw Snape's face crinkle as he witnessed him actually _smiling_ for the first time.

* * *

><p>They soon returned home, as it began to get dark, and all Snape wanted to do was to relax back on the sofa. He hadn't had that much physical activity in quite some time. Harry was exhausted as well, and no sooner had they returned home, then he collapsed into the couch, leaning into it and closing his eyes. He heard Snape walk towards the hallway, assuming he was going to his room. He couldn't quite get the strange feeling out of his system.<p>

What was most strange about the feeling inside of him, was the fact that he _hadn't_ felt strange when he was playing Quidditch with Snape. He had felt...comfortable. No adult had really ever taken the time to really _do_something with Harry, especially as far as play a game with him. And why should they, he said to himself. They were adults, they had no business with him. But Snape had bothered...Snape had suggested it...

He was startled by Snape jostling back into the living room, a livid and somewhat worried look on his face. Harry was about to open his mouth to ask what was wrong, but Snape spoke before he could get a word out. "Stay in the house. Do not leave or open the door for _any _reason."

Harry barely had time to nod before Snape, now dressed in his traditional Hogwarts teaching robes, walked briskly out the front door, which he left slightly ajar in his pursuit. Harry watched through the door as he saw Snape apparate away.

Harry closed the door, worry sinking into his heart. What could have happened now? It was as if something was always happening while he's been in Snape's care.

He heard a sound coming from the living room. Harry froze, not knowing what to do, slowly taking out his hand and tip-toeing down the hallway. When he finally came to the end of the hallway, he paused before quickly turning into the living room, his wand up and held straight in front of him.

What he saw was a tall, familiar witch in long green robes, brushing ashes off of her that had soiled the bottom of her robes when she had come through the floo.

"Hello, Harry," said Professor McGonagall, giving Harry a small smile. "Nice to see you after some time."


	16. An Unexpected Call

**A/N:** If life only didn't get in the way so much, I would post a chapter much sooner :( Well, I'm not going to spoil too much in this author's note, so I'll just let you guys read the chapter and see for yourselves :) Reviews much appreciated! Hope you enjoy it :D

As well, I have posted a little one-chapter short story, called "A Christmas Memory", which came to me quite randomly in fact, but I thought I would write it and share it :) The main characters are Harry, Sirius, and Remus, where the two Marauders try to give Harry a little hand when he is down. It sounds much better than the brief one sentence description I have written xD. So if you guys have the time, it would be great if you guys could check it out and let me know what you think, and if you think I should write more of those little fics.

Well, anyways, enough with the advertising. Enjoy the chapter! :)

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 15: An Unexpected Call<strong>

Harry smiled as he saw the familiar face of his Head of House standing in the living room. She looked quite out of place, given the scenery of the room itself.

"Hello, Professor, nice to see you too, although it hasn't been that long, has it?" Harry replied, a foolish grin still on his face. "I believe it was just last week that you came over to give me my homework assignments?"

"Now, Mr. Potter, even though we are not in class, I do ask you treat me with the same respect you would always," McGonagall said sternly, but Harry saw an amused sparkle in her eye.

"Yes, _Professor_," Harry stressed the last word. He was actually happy to see McGonagall. Maybe Snape was right. He hadn't seen much of anyone else other than Death-Eaters for the past week. He shuddered a bit. "Uhm, not to be rude or anything...but why are you here?"

At that question, her eyes softened, a sympathetic expression seeming to come over her face. "Why don't you come and sit down, Harry." She gestured toward the couch, and Harry walked over and sat down on it, while McGonagall took a seat beside him. She took out her wand, conjuring a tray of tea, with cream, sugar, and two cups. She poured some golden-coloured tea into one of the cups, added some cream and sugar ("Two of each," Harry had murmured), and gave the cup to him silently. She took a sip out of her own cup and started to speak. "Mr. Potter...Professor Snape has been called by You-Know-Who," she said bluntly.

Harry sat there for a moment, silent, trying to digest the sentence. "Called?" Was that why he had changed so quickly into his teaching robes?

"Yes," McGonagall said slowly. "Unfortunately, You-Know-Who has requested his presence, and Professor Snape found it fit to summon me to watch over you during his absence." Harry noticed how she did not say Voldemort's name. It seemed as if no one could say the name except for him and Dumbledore.

"I can watch over myself, you know," Harry muttered.

Minerva gave him a leveled look. "I am sure you are adequate enough to watch yourself, Mr. Potter, but we are only thinking of your own safety." Harry felt guilty as that realization sunk in. It was true. After all, they were only trying to protect him.

"I'm sorry," Harry apologized, suddenly unable to look anywhere but his feet.

"It's quite alright," McGonagall said, a small smile now on her face. "Well, I thought, as long as I was going to be seeing you, I could give you this now." Harry saw her set down a package that he now noticed that she was holding, onto his lap.

Harry looked at it with a puzzled look. "What is it?"

"Well, you're not going to know until you open it, now will you?" McGonagall replied, a smile still on her face, and was it just Harry, or did she seem to have that twinkle in her eye that Dumbledore always seemed to have.

He grabbed the package, and ripped it open. He saw the red and gold colours even before he had removed all the paper. He held out a brand new pair of Quidditch robes. On the chest of the robe, there was a "C" emblazoned in a bright gold.

"Congratulations, you're our new Quidditch captain, Mr. Potter," he heard McGonagall say.

Harry couldn't believe it. "Really?" he said in surprise.

"Yes. And I do expect that you lead our team to victory this year. Heaven knows if I have to sit through one of the other Head-of-Houses bragging about their glorious Quidditch cup win." Harry looked up and saw his professor roll his eyes, and then give him a wink.

"Wow, thanks Professor!" Harry replied, turning the robes over, looking at them from side to side, enveloped in the feeling of happiness.

McGonagall's face showed an expression of contentment as she saw Harry's reaction. "You're welcome. Now tell me, how has your summer been?"

Harry put down the robes, looking at his professor, his face sinking a bit. "It's been alright. First three weeks were as usual, and then you know...I came here."

"I see," McGonagall said, a calm expression on her face. "And has being here with Professor Snape been...as usual?"

Harry didn't answer right away. He sensed a double meaning in her voice, but he didn't take it too much into account. "It's been...different. More of an understanding situation, I guess."

McGonagall shifted over so that she was facing Harry directly. Harry just waited for her to say something. She breathed a sigh and started to speak.

"Harry, you are aware that your aunt and uncle have given over their guardianship of you, I believe?"

"Uhm," Harry thought. "Well, when Dumbledore came over to get me, he told them that he was taking me over for the rest if the summer."

McGonagall nodded. "That is true...in essence. Shortly after you arrived, Professor Dumbledore visited your aunt and uncle again and asked for them to sign a guardianship form, one that claims that you will not be considered their official ward anymore."

"Okay," Harry said slowly, letting the news sink in. "So, if they aren't going to be my guardians anymore...who is?"

"Well, see, that is what I wanted to talk to you about, Mr. Potter. As of now, there is no name written down on the form in regards to who will become your new guardian."

As McGonagall was talking, Harry was just trying to take it all in. It seemed a little too good to be true that he would never have to return to that rut of a home anymore, and that he would never have to be bullied by the Dursleys ever again. He wondered who his new guardian would be. He wouldn't mind the Weasleys, although he felt like the house was crowded enough without allowing another teenage boy in. Maybe Lupin? He wasn't sure what his old Defense professor, and good friend of his parents, was actually up to these days. As far as he knew, he was quite busy with the Order to be able to do anything else. Dumbledore? Harry had a good feeling Dumbledore had too much of his own problems to deal with Harry's.

However, he did have the lingering feeling of being let go a little too easily. Like he could just be passed around from one person to the other with a simple signature.

"Mr. Potter?"

Harry was jostled out of his thoughts by his professor's voice.

"I'm sorry, Professor," Harry apologized.

She shook her head. She knew the boy always had trouble when it came to paying attention.

"Anyways," she continued. "I have talked to Professor Dumbledore about this, but I would like to ask you first...I would be glad to take you in as _my_ward, if you would allow to it."

Harry's eyebrows rose. "You would like to be my _guardian_?"

McGonagall nodded. "If you so choose."

Harry noticed something that she said. "Wait...hold on a minute...if I so choose?"

McGonagall's eyes warmed as she realized what he was thinking.

"Yes, Mr. Potter, you do get a choice this time."

Harry's face was blank for a second, but then broke out into a smile. He had a new feeling in his heart. The feeling of being wanted. "Ofcourse I wouldn't mind if you were my guardian, professor."

The sides of his professor's mouth twitched up. "Then it's decided. And Harry, since I am supposedly your ward now...you may call me Minerva."

Harry tried to hold in his laugh, but he couldn't stop the small chuckle that came out of his mouth. "Uhm...okay, _Minerva_."

A stern look came over her face. "However, you may only call me that outside of class. Inside class, I still expect you to refer to me with proper respective, 'Professor McGonagall'".

Harry nodded, not wanting to push her. "Okay. By the way, what happens when I become of age?"

"When you turn 17, you will be considered an adult in the wizarding world, and therefore not associated as my ward. However, I will continue to act as a guardian for you as long as you would like, giving you advice, necessities, a person to talk to...and I will make sure you continue to go forth on your path of life through the straight and narrow," Minerva said, her voice strong at the end, comforting to Harry.

"...I won't leave you on your own when you become of age, Harry. You can still come to me whenever you feel the need to, and I will still continue to keep correspondence with you," Minerva added at the end, watching Harry's expression.

Harry looked down at his new Quidditch robes, given to him by his new guardian...he was rarely given anything by other people, especially adults, unless it was a frivolous birthday present. But McGonagall...Minerva...had given this to him for no other reason but the fact that he needed it. He'd always had to provide his necessities for himself. The only other time he had been given something like this, was his Firebolt, which Sirius had given him. He smiled, fingering the "C" on his robes, feeling more comfortable than he had ever thought he could feel at this time of his life.

"Hey, Minerva..." The word felt weird on Harry's tongue. "...thank you. For offering to be my guardian."

"You're welcome," Minerva said, not being able to keep a small smile off her face. "It would be my pleasure."

After a moment, a thought had occurred in Harry's mind. "Hey," he said casually, and Minerva focused her attention on him. "If you are going to be my guardian...does that mean I have to come and live with you for the rest of the summer?"

Minerva did not look surprised at the question, but just paused for a second, watching the young boy she had known for 6 years now. "Well, I will be quite busy the next month, assisting Professor Dumbledore with pre-term preparations.," she started. "However, I would not be opposed to you coming to live with me for the remainder of the summer. Do you want to come live with me? Would you like to leave Professor Snape's care?"

Harry stopped. If it had been a week and half ago, he would have said yes in a heart-beat. He would have jumped at the chance to live with his professor, strange as that sounded, because he knew he would have been cared for, watched over...listened to. His need to have someone care for him was one he had never really noticed, or at least focused on.

However, right now, he wasn't jumping. He was confused.

"I'm not sure..." Harry contemplated out loud. Minerva didn't interrupt, but let Harry sort out his thoughts.

Harry realized that she would, in fact, be very busy preparing for the new school year, as she was Deputy Headmistress. She probably wouldn't be around much. Harry usually wouldn't have minded this...he would find his own way to occupy his time. But when he thought about it more, he found himself disliking the idea of spending his time alone. He'd been alone way too much this summer.

But it was more than that. It was as if there was some secret, hidden part of his self-conscious, telling him to remain right where he was.

Minerva reached out her hand and placed it on Harry's shoulders. "I'd understand if you wanted to remain here," she said slowly.

Harry took a moment before answering, "I think...I think I need to give this a try."

She nodded, a serene expression on her face, not asking Harry to offer any more information. "That is alright. You're welcome if you ever feel you need another place to stay. I'm sure I will be seeing much more of you during the summer. As it so happens, we must go shopping before term starts to purchase your new books and supplies, as well as get you some new clothes."

"Professor Snape already bought me new clothes," Harry replied, looking up from his hands, that lay on his lap.

She smiled. "I'm sure he has, but you will also need some new wizarding attire, and new school robes and sweaters for the year. As I remember it, the last time I saw you, your robes were getting a bit short, am I right?"

Harry's turned turned pink, as he remembered how his robes ended quite a bit above his ankles, but he had not had anyone to take him to get fitted for new ones.

"Sure," Harry replied quickly. "Here, let me take these to the kitchen." He grabbed the two cups, now empty, and carried them away. He vaguely remembered that Minerva could have easily conjured them away, but he had started to become accustomed to some of Snape's muggle habits, like washing the dishes. Harry had always had to wash the dishes when he was at the Durlseys, anyways. Minerva hadn't said anything, so he let it go.

He had only gotten to the entrance of the kitchen, when he cried out, letting go of the glasses, his hands grasping at his scar. He fell to his knees, as he heard the glass cups crash onto the floor, the shards flying out in all directions across the tiles. A particularly large shard had grazed Harry's hand, and his arm bled, the drops of blood staining the linoleum floor, but he didn't even notice, as his head was protesting in pain.

Minerva appeared right at the entrance of the kitchen, and upon seeing Harry on the floor, his hand up to his forehead, a worried look passed over her face, and she grabbed Harry's hand, pulled him up from the floor, and guided him back to the sitting room, where she placed him on the couch.

"Voldemort...he's angry..." Harry said in a breathy voice. "Really angry..."

"Don't let him in!" hissed Minerva. "The worst thing to do is to open up the link between you two."  
>"But he's MAD." Harry protested, flinching as a sharp ache pierced his forehead. "Snape...he just left...what if it's about him..."<p>

Minerva didn't reply, but just held onto Harry's hand, sitting there with him for10 minutes, until Harry felt the pain wafting off slowly, enough that he could remove his hand from his forehead. He was breathing heavily, and he just sat on the couch, letting the pain face off until it was no longer existent.

"What was that?" Harry yelled finally, when he had enough strength, getting up off the couch. "What's that mad man up to? What is he angry about?"

"I'm not sure, Harry," Minerva replied, a sad tone lingering in her voice. "Please sit down. Calm yourself for a minute."

"How can I just calm down!" Harry said, pacing back and forth. "I mean, what could he have been angry about? What if it's about..." Harry stopped, taking a moment to breathe.

"Mr. Potter, please sit down and relax for a minute," Minerva said calmly, gesturing towards the seat beside her on the sofa. Harry slowly made his back to the couch and sat down. He looked at his professor's face. If there was only one word he could use to describe her expression, it would be apprehensive, although he could tell she was trying to hide it.

"Professor Snape is quite capable of taking care of himself, Harry. He knows what he is going into and he knows how to deal with...You-Know-Who," Minerva said, with confidence...as much confidence as she could muster.

Harry didn't look convinced.

Before Harry could open his mouth, however, Minerva stopped him, putting a hand up in front of his face. "Harry, trust Professor Snape with this, okay?"

Harry nodded mutely. Minerva excused herself, to make the two of them something to eat, and she left Harry sitting on the couch, while walking away to the kitchen.

Harry was just grateful that she hadn't asked him about his sudden interest in Professor Snape's safety.

* * *

><p>"HOW COULD YOU MISS HIM? CRUCIO!"<p>

Voldemort was angry. Furious. None of the Death Eaters had seen him this angry in awhile. Both Bellatrix and Narcissa were on the floor, writhing, struck by his curse. Snape was standing in his place in the circle, not speaking, because every Death Eater knew that if you spoke up during one of his tirades...it wouldn't be taken very lightly. Snape looked over to Lucius, who stood only a few bodies away from him, looking as if someone had punched him in the gut. He was gazing at his wife in horror, flinching as he heard one of her piercing screams. Snape felt slightly bad for Lucius. His wife wasn't even an official Death Eater, and yet she had been at an unfortunate place, at an unfortunate time.

Snape wasn't exactly sure how Voldemort had come to the news of Bellatrix's and Narcissa's altercation with Harry. He seemed to somehow discover these things...he suspected that Bellatrix might have had a part in it, never being able to keep anything from her master. Upon hearing that they had narrowly caught Harry, and had failed, he had become outraged. The boy could not be caught by a bunch of imbeciles such as themselves, Voldemort had yelled. He was just a boy, wasn't he? What was it that he held over all the Death Eaters, that he could escape their grasp so easily, one-by-one?

During his tirade, Snape was keeping a close eye on Lucius. A very close eye, in fact. He knew he was swimming in dangerous waters. If Lucius revealed that Harry was staying with him during the summer...he didn't think Voldemort would take it very lightly. So far, Lucius had not spoken as word – ofcourse, none of the Death-Eaters dared speak during meetings like these.

After 20 minutes, Voldemort decided to end the string of torture. He lifted the curse, Narcissa and Bellatrix laying on the floor, barely conscious. He walked away from them, the other Death Eaters turning towards his direction.

"We must secure our plans! We have no chance of success if we keep failing like this again and again!" Voldemort yelled. "Do any of you have any ideas of where the boy could be now? Severus!" He tried to keep his face composed as Voldemort turned his way. "Professors are starting to prepare for the new term, haven't they? Do you have any idea where the boy could be? Where his letters for the start of the term are being owled?"

Thankfully, Voldemort had cursed Narcissa and Bellatrix before they could reveal the location of where they had spotted Harry. "I am sorry, my Lord, but only Albus and Minerva have access to those files, I have no way of knowing of Potter's whereabouts."

Voldemort's eyes narrowed. He stared at Snape, a deep look in his eye. Snape did not break the stare, until Voldemort turned around, walking around, starting to discuss the plans for the new year. He never looked his way, but he knew Lucius was looking at him, his stare boring into Snape. Snape had just outrightly lied to the Dark Lord. If there was ever a better time for Lucius to expose him, it was now.

But he never did.

The rest of the meeting went on in silence, except for the Dark Lord's loud voice reverberating around the dark room they were standing in. By the time the Dark Lord was finished, 3 hours later, Snape was in desperate need of a chair. And a way to get the circulation of blood in his legs going again. While he slowly walked out of the room to apparate back in his home, he passed by Lucius. He had helped his wife up, a hand on her shoulder. He locked eyes with Lucius for a moment, but Lucius quickly looked away, guiding his light-headed wife away from the room, who was still having trouble walking on her own two feet.

As Snape continued to walk away, he didn't know what to think. What game was Lucius playing? Any of the other Death Eaters would have blurted out news like that, if it meant getting the Dark Lord's favour. ESPECIALLY if it meant decreasing the Dark Lord's favour with someone else. The Death Eaters seemed to be a competitive bunch, always wanting the Dark Lord to see them in a better light. That could have many benefits, most importantly: safety.

Then again, Lucius wasn't really like the other Death Eaters. Atleast, not lately. He always seemed quiet, reserved, unwilling to speak unless spoken to. Severus thought back to Lucius' failed attempt at retrieving the prophecy, and his capture. Lucius was definitely paying a hard price for that, especially in the eyes of the Dark Lord. It was a wonder that he was even rescued at all. Then Snape thought back to Narcissa and Bellatrix's visit. Ah yes, the young boy. They did have another whole predicament to deal with as well.

But he didn't disregard Lucius. Snape felt that he was up to something. How had he known that both Severus and Harry would be in France? There's a very unlikely chance that it was a coincidence. He would have to keep a watch on him. A close watch.

Snape sighed. He had a headache. He reached the outside of the building, and with effort, he apparated away.

* * *

><p>Snape found himself outside his own home in Spinner's end again. He slowly walked into the house, taking off his boots, and walking to the living room, where he found Minerva sitting on the couch, the television open, watching what seemed to be a sitcom.<p>

Minerva's head turned towards him, a calm look on her face. But if he looked closer, he could see a worrisome look in her eyes. "How was it?" Minerva asked softly.

"Alright," Severus said. "More discussing plans really. That drasted man is going above and beyond...if he can really be called a man." Severus sighed. He looked at the shoe she was watching. Minerva saw him staring at the television, and she smiled. "I used to watch the television all the time when I was a little kid. You know my father was a muggle, right?"

"Yes," Snape nodded, Minerva had told him the story before. Minerva was the product of a witch and a muggle father, much like Snape was. Her mother and father wed, without her father's knowledge that her mother was a witch. When Minerva was born, she started to show little bouts of magical ability, in the way magical infants always did: with accidents. Her father was finally told of the family's magical ability, and even through the big shock, they remained together. But it was tough on her. Her father was just as good with dealing with a witch as his own father was. And Minerva wasn't an only child, like Snape was. Minerva had to help her mother with her two brothers, Malcolm and Robert Jr. It was when she had told him this story, that he had realized that he wasn't the only one who had dealt with the problems he had gone through.

He looked at Minerva's face. It was passive, yet their was a somber tinge to it. "Where is Harry?" Snape asked, wanting to change the subject.

"He went back to his bedroom an hour ago," Minerva replied, now turning her head towards Snape and raising her eyebrow, giving him a quizzical look. Snape's eyes narrowed, suspecting something had happened. "Is there anything wrong?"

"Well," Minerva started, in a serious voice. "Harry experienced a strong burning in his scar..." Minerva stopped for a second, but that's all Snape really needed to hear. Harry had had these experiences before, as most of the staff of Hogwarts and the Order had discovered. Snape sighed and shook his head.

"Yes, the Dark Lord had been extremely upset today. He had discovered that Narcissa and Bellatrix had had a close encounter with one Harry Potter, and had been unable to capture him."

Minerva's eyes widened with surprise. "What are you going on about, Severus?" she exclaimed. Snape retold the story of Narcissa and Bellatrix's visit to Spinner's End, Harry's misunderstanding, Snape's chase to get him back, and the too-close encounter with the two witches.

However, he did not disclose the content of the conversation with Narcissa and Bellatrix to Minerva. The only person outside of the Death-Eaters that knew was Albus Dumbledore, and he did not know whether it was wise to share it with anyone else.

Minerva could tell he was holding something back from her. When Snape finished the story, she was silent for a second. Instead of questioning him, she just sighed, "Well, I guess we can just be thankful nothing worst happened." She stood up, brushing her robes. "I should get back, Albus will be wanting to know how everything went." She bid Snape goodbye, but before she left, she turned back to him and said, "You should know, Harry was distressed that You-Know-Who was upset at you, and that you were being punished." She could see Snape's eyes widen in surprise. "It would do well to set him straight," Minerva ended, giving Snape a small smile. "As well, don't forget to tell Harry about his big day. I was going to discuss it with him, but you know...situations changed."

When she left, Snape as well as collapsed on the couch, leaning back and closing his eyes. It had been a long day. After ten minutes, however, he reluctantly got up, put on a pair of slippers, and walked down the hallway, towards Harry's room. He opened the door slowly, where he saw Harry laying down on the bed, his eyes closed. He walked in quietly, seeing if Harry would open his eyes. He didn't, so he thought for a moment, rejecting the idea when it came to his head, but reluctantly went up to his bed, dropping down to his knees, and shook the boy's shoulder a bit. Harry let out a quiet little murmur. Snape shook him a little harder until he opened his eyes. His eyes blinked. When he saw the dark figure of Snape in front of his eyes, he suddenly became more alert. "You're back," he said.

Snape nodded. "I'm sorry to have woken you. I just wanted to assure you that I am back, and I am fine, Mr. Potter." He kept his voice to a low level, not expressing any emotion in his voice. Harry nodded relaxing back into his bed. It seemed like he looked relieved, but it could be the sleepy look in his eye. Snape got up from his knees, feeling a tad strange. What had brought him to wake Harry up, just to tell him that he was back? He turned to leave, but remembering, he said, "You do remember it's your birthday tomorrow, I believe?"

Harry, in his sleepy state, registered those words. He had lost track of the time, but now that it was mentioned, he did realize that his birthday was coming close when he had left the Dursleys. Harry slightly nodded into his pillow. "What are we doing tomorrow then?" Harry said softly.

Snape turned back to look at the boy, falling asleep as he spoke. "We can discuss that tomorrow," Snape said just as softly, walking to the door. He was just opening the door, when he heard Harry's voice softly from behind him. "Professor? You know how you said that I couldn't ride my broom in your backyard, because muggles lived here as well?"

Snape didn't know what to reply. It was such a random question. "Yes?" Snape answered uncertainly.

"Well, that wasn't the first time I rode the broom here. Remember? The first time I rode the broom, it was in your backyard. Why didn't you stop me then?" Harry's voice was a sleepy drawl, but the question was real.

Snape stopped, remembering that day, the day Minerva had first come by, and Harry had asked to fly his broom for the first time in over half a year. He knew the answer to Harry's question. When watching him fly, all he could think about was Lily. All the times the two had shared flying together. It was a favourite past time of their's, one that he didn't indulge in much anymore.

But he didn't know how to answer Harry. It was something he couldn't put into words, not yet.

"I had another thought in mind, Harry," Snape said slowly. "Granted, I was not thinking too much about the location of where you flew at the time."

Harry smiled in his sleep, a smile that Snape could not see in the darkness of the room. "I want to go back there again," he said quietly. "It was peaceful."

It was peaceful. That is why Snape enjoyed going there during the past years of his life. He didn't answer, but opened the door, and before shutting it, said in a quiet voice, "Goodnight, Mr. Potter."

He walked back to the living room, sank into the couch, and pulled out an old bottle of scotch that he had lying around. He open the bottle, and took a long swig, closing his eyes, trying to drown out all the thoughts running around his head.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: The information on Minerva's past life is from Pottermore (I am a beta user, yay! :D). There is an exclusively written biography on Minerva's background and childhood days, so YES, this is canon, theoretically, because it was written by J.K. Rowling for Pottermore! :)


	17. Welcome Back

**A/N:**Regrettably, this chapter is coming quite late. My chapters seem to get longer and longer, and my time to write them less and less. :( So I have cut it off into two/three chapters. Give you guys more to read, and more opportunity for me to add details in ;) Hopefully the next chapters won't take so long. I appreciate every review that you guys have written. And trust me, I read ALL of them. If you've written me a review, I've read it :) I wish I had more time to reply to each reviewer, hopefully sometime I will, but know that I am reading them, and it gives me great joy to read them, knowing what you guys think of the story, and even your opinions/guesses on the plot :P This is my first real fanfiction story, so I'm really developing my writing style. So keep writing reviews, please do! :D

Hope you enjoy this chapter ;) It may not have as much deep content as other chapters, but like I said, I essentially did cut the chapter I was writing into two/three, so this is a part of it, if you think about it that way :P Enjoy! :)

P.S: I will always post updates on my profile if I'm ever running late with a chapter, answering a common question from the reviews, etc. So always check my rpofile for updates!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 16: Welcome Back<strong>

Harry woke up to the sound of a bird chirping. He felt a slight breeze passing over him, which made him aware that the window was open. He slowly opened his eyes, his eyes gazing around his room. His eyes rested towards the open window. The blinds were drawn, and yet, there was a sliver of sunlight that slipped through. Not wanting to get out of bed just yet, he turned his head towards his alarm clock. 10:00. A pretty decent time to wake up. He was surprised that Snape hadn't woken him up earlier.

Suddenly he sat up, all the details from the night before coming back to him. The pain in his scar. The feeling of Voldemort's anger. Snape...he was just about to rush down the hallway, when he remembered that Snape had woken him up to tell him that he was alright last night. Harry had to turn that one over a couple of times. Had Snape really woken him up just for something like that? He was quite sleepy when they had been speaking, maybe he had dreamed the whole thing...but a small part of him knew it wasn't a dream.

He got up, slowly walking towards the drawn curtains, and pulled them open, breathing in the fresh air. The sun was shining on the quaint little village. He looked at the small calender that he had gotten for himself last week, on the first little excursion that Harry and Snape had gone on...and then he remembered. Today was July 31st. His birthday. Today, he was officially 16.

Usually, his birthday never really excited him. Actually, it usually made him feel quite depressed, because each year, the Dursleys practically disregarded his birthday, except for the occasional coat hanger he got as a present. The reminder that no one actually cared about his birthday was enough to set his mood in a downward spiral for the day.

But today...it's not that he was actually _excited_. But he was intrigued. Expectant. Maybe this birthday would be something he could look back on with happiness.

Harry opened his doorway, and slowly walked down the hallway. When he was coming near to the kitchen, he slowed down to a tiptoe, peeking into the kitchen. He saw Snape at the stove. He seemed to be mixing something in a bowl. A strange feeling suddenly came over him, and he almost turned back to go into his room. He couldn't really place the feeling. Afraid of disappointment? What was he expecting, anyways? Finally, Harry breathed a hard sigh, and walked into the kitchen. Snape's head slightly turned towards him, but more or so disregarded him, as Harry walked up to the fridge, grabbed a carton of milk, and poured himself a glass. Atleast he got to eat freely, Harry thought to himself.

By the time he had pulled out the chair from the table and sat down, Harry's heart had already started to sink. Maybe he shouldn't expect anything, but maybe a greeting atleast...

Harry was just about to throw any expectations he had out the window, when he heard a voice beside him say, "Happy Birthday, Mr. Potter."

Harry turned his head upward, just as Snape set down a plate in front of him. The sweet smell of syrup cause his eyes to gaze down, at the mound of pancakes in front of him, covered in syrup. He looked up, but Snape had already turned around and left the table, pouring some more batter onto a pan. Harry softly said, "Thank you," and he saw Severus' curt nod in response.

After a minute, Severus brought his own plate of pancakes to the table, and sat across from Harry. They ate in silence, as they usually tended to do, slowly chewing on their food. The pancakes melted in his mouth, the syrup tingling on his tongue. He could already say that this was probably his best birthday in his life – well, except for the day that Hagrid had bounded through that rusty wooden door, and told Harry that he was a wizard.

Harry was on his last pancake, not a word exchanged between the two of them, when Snape cleared his throat, breaking the silence. "I should inform you, that the Weasleys have invited you over for a little birthday celebration, as they call it," Snape said slowly.

Harry raised an eyebrow. He hadn't heard anything from Ron about this invite. However, he hadn't heard anything from Ron since he arrived at Snape's house.

Severus continued speaking. "I believe the Weasley twins stated..." Severus hesitated for a second, a strange look coming over his face. "They stated...'That bloke must be missing the two of us dearly, isn't he, Mr. Professor Snape sir?'" Harry almost laughed out loud at the look on Snape's face, a pass between disgusted and disbelieving, and his struggle to repeat the twins words. But Harry bit his tongue to keep from laughing.

"Yes, I do miss them," Harry replied softly, actually honestly. He did miss those two. They always had a way of brightening his day, with the funny antics they always got up to.

"Forgive me if I must disagree. Perhaps this year, we'll be able to get through the term without their crazy antics," Snape said disdainfully, shaking his head. Harry chuckled. If he knew the twins, poor Snape would be disappointed once again.

"Alright," Harry replied, an answer to Snape's original statement. "I'll go to the Weasleys." If it had been just a couple of weeks ago, he would most likely not have had the energy or the composure to last one evening with the Weasleys. But now, he was looking forward to seeing some different faces, especially if those faces were the ones of his friends.

"Very well," Snape replied. "Be ready by 4:00, and then you can floo over to their house." Snape, seeing that Harry had finished his food, reached over and picked up his plate without a word, leaving the half-empty glass of milk on the table for Harry to finish. Harry was quite surprised. Snape would have never picked up something for him, it was one of the stubborn traits of the Potions Master that Harry was accustomed to over the past 5 years: Snape never assisted him with anything. Even during Harry's stay so far, Harry had always picked up after himself, washed his own dishes, etc.

When Harry returned to his room, he found an outfit laying on the ready-made bed. Harry was almost certain that he had not made the covers before he had left the room. He took a look at the clothes on his bed. The pants were a much nicer pair of dress pants, different from the usual pairs of jeans he stuck to most days. The shirt was a clean, navy blue button-up blouse. Typical that Snape would not set out a pair of ripped jeans and a graphic tee...not that Harry owned any.

What wasn't typical was the fact that Snape had laid out something in the first place.

Harry tried to shake off the feeling as he put his clothes on. They were such small, insignificant things, but when it came to Snape...these are just the things that made this ordeal so strange.

When Harry came down, dressed and ready to go, he saw Snape standing in the living room, dressed in casual clothes. He held a pot of floo powder in his hand. Snape gave Harry a once-over, but did not comment, which either meant that he was satisfied, or that he didn't have enough energy to care.

Snape held out the pot towards Harry when he had reached the fireplace. "You are going first," Snape stated. "Can I trust that you won't trip and fall right out of the fireplace?"

Harry shook his head, but there was a hint of smirk on his face. "No, sir," he replied, grasping a handful of floo powder in his hand. He turned towards the fireplace, and stepped into it. Snape gave him one final nod before he tossed the powder into the fireplace, saying, "Arthur Weasley's Household!"

* * *

><p>Harry was coughing from all the soot and dust that had entered his lungs. He stepped out of the fireplace, but he must have tripped over a log or something, because the next second, he was being hoisted back upright by Mrs. Weasley.<p>

"Severus wasn't kidding when he said you might need help getting out of the fireplace," he heard Mrs. Weasley say in a concerned voice.

He tried to stop coughing long enough to speak, but the "thank you" came out as a sputter.

"Freddie, dear, would you please go get Harry a glass of water," Mrs. Weasley shouted to a corner, guiding Harry to a sofa. He sat down, trying to wipe his eyes. However, he found that he seemed to be getting more dirt in them then he was getting out. He felt his hands being wiped with a warm cloth, and then his face is wiped as well. A glass is pressed into his hand, and he takes a gulp.

"Geez, Harry, always need to make a big entrance, don't ya?" Harry opened his eyes and looked to his right, where he saw the gallant face of Fred Weasley sitting beside him. Harry's face broke into a smile, but was no sooner wiped off his face when he saw Snape standing in front of him, arms folded across his chest, a very smug smirk on his face.

"Are you alright, Mr. Potter?" Snape said, amusement in his tone.

"Fabulous," Harry replied, glaring at him. It was much to his dismay that Snape had to see him looking foolish.

"Harry!" Harry's breath was knocked out of him as he felt a huge weight jump onto him. "We've missed you!"

The weight finally removed itself after a couple of seconds, and he saw Hermoine Granger standing in front of him. He laughed. "Hi, Hermoine," Harry said with a smile. "How've you been?"

"Great!" Hermoine said. "Well, I've been on that trip with my parents, you know, the one I told you about? We went to the States!" Hermoine stopped talking for a second when she saw Professor Snape standing there. "Oh, hello Professor Snape."

Snape gave her a small nod. "Good afternoon, Ms. Granger."

Hermoine gave a tentative but polite smile in return. "Come on Harry, Ron's dying to see you again." She grabbed Harry's hand, and having no choice but to follow her, let her lead him out of the room, taking a second to glance back at Professor Snape.

When they had left the room, Mrs. Weasley had turned back to Snape. "Would you like to stay, Severus? I can make you a cup of tea," she said with a smile.

"Oh no, it's quite alright, Molly," Snape said, shaking his head. "I appreciate the offer, but I must get back to complete some work I left."

"Well, alright then," Mrs. Weasley said, nodding. "You go have a few hours to yourself. It must be a handful having to take care of a teenager all of a sudden."

Snape took a couple of seconds before he replied. "Fortunately, I've had too much experience dealing with teenagers at Hogwarts constantly," Snape said contemplatively. "Well, I do hope you enjoy yourselves." He waved goodbye before he walked back to the fireplace and flooed back to his quarters.

* * *

><p>Hermoine led Harry to the Weasley's backyard. They found Ginny sitting on a lawn chair, reading a book, while George and Ron were both strapped on a broom, throwing around a Quaffle. When Ginny heard steps coming from behind her, she turned around to see Harry standing behind her. She immediately stood up, walking towards Harry. Harry turned his gaze towards her, and smiled, holding out his arms so that Ginny could come over and give him a hug. They broke apart after 5 seconds, a warm feeling running through Harry. "Hey Ginny," he said softly.<p>

"Hi Harry," Ginny said with a smile on her face. "How've you been?"

"Well, I've been –"

"Hey, mate!" Harry was cut off by the sound of Ron, and he looked up to see Ron waving up at him above. As Ron was waving, however, he lost his grip, his broom sinking almost 3 meters before he grasped the broom with both hands again. Harry chuckled. "Why don't you come down so we can play a real game of Quidditch!" Harry smiled. He was finally back.

* * *

><p>"Albus..." Snape said constraintedly, as he took a sip of his tea.<p>

"My dear boy, you do understand that it must be done at some point, right?" Dumbledore replied, taking a sip of his own cup of tea.

"Do you really need Mr. Potter for this mission?" Snape asked. "I am sure that you can persuade Horace to return to his previous post on your own."

"I am afraid my words are not going to be enough to convince him, this time around," Dumbledore sighed. They were sitting on a couch in Snape's living room, a plate of biscuits sitting in front of them. Dumbledore picked up a biscuit and chewed on it slowly.

"But why Mr. Potter, if I may ask?" Snape put his cup down, leaning against the sofa cushion.

"Harry has quite a delightful reputation that would entice Horace. You do remember his knack for choosing bright and powerful students, do you not?"

"Yes, killing the Dark Lord as a baby would surely get you into his Slug Club," Snape muttered under his breath, but Dumbledore understood.

"Horace is the key, Severus. He must return to his post this year," Dumbledore said with a tone of finality.

Snape gave Dumbledore a steady look for a few seconds.

"You're not telling me something, Albus," Snape said, in his own tone of finality.

Dumbledore smiled, a tired smile. "Always so perceptive," he replied softly. "All in good time, my boy." Dumbledore stood up. "Now, I must be leaving. I would not want to be late for our Harry's own birthday party." Snape watched Dumbledore walk towards the fireplace. Just as he reached it, he turned back towards him. "Oh, I forgot to mention, Severus...you must talk to him about that first day, the day that he had run away from my house...tonight."

Snape's eyes widened. "Tonight? I can imagine that will not be a very pleasant conversation for Mr. Potter to have. And after returning from his celebratory dinner?"

Dumbledore had a knowing look on his face, and Snape's voice faltered away as he realized what he was saying. He cleared his throat. "Very well, Albus, I shall speak with him tonight."

Dumbledore smiled. "Ahh Severus, you may not understand now...but you will soon see." Snape had barely time to blink before Dumbledore had disappeared in a flash of green fire.

He could never understand Dumbledore's cryptic messages. Snape sighed, putting his head in his hands, leaving the tea on the table to become cold.

* * *

><p>The rest of the afternoon was consumed with several games of Quidditch. Even Hermoine joined in the fun, although she wasn't the most comfortable on a broom. And anytime a Quaffle was shot straight at her, she would shriek and duck away from it. Ginny was extremely agile however, and Harry caught himself staring at her flying across him, almost getting a Bludger to the face.<p>

After 2 hours of playing, they were all tuckered out. They gathered in the living room, collapsing on the couch, laughing because Hermoine had nearly ran into the tree in the backyard, trying to get down. Hermoine had a small pout on her face, which made the others laugh even more. Mrs. Weasley walked into the room at the sound of their laughter.

"Come on, all of you, time to get ready for the party!" Mrs. Weasley said, having to almost drag Fred and George off the couch, while the others stood up and starting walking to eachother's rooms. Hermoine went off with Ginny to her room, while Harry followed Ron to his room. He smiled when he saw the familiar blast of orange, from the Chudley Cannons posters in his room.

Ron, having been dressed in his regular casual clothes, pulled off his shirt, and rummaged through his clothes, trying to find a suitable dress shirt to wear that he could tolerate. Harry sat down on Ron's bed, silently thinking about the day he'd had so far. He'd missed his friends, definitely. And being around them made him think of how wonderful it must be to live in a family like Ron's, where they always had a wonderful time together, and each one of them cared for the other's well being.

"So, mate...how's everything been?" He heard Ron's voice from the inside of his closet. "How's it like living with the git?"

"It's been alright," Harry replied, feeling a little irritated at Ron's selection of words. "Better than the rest of my summer, actually," Harry pointed out with a tinge of annoyance.

"Really?" Ron said, finally finding a shirt that he didn't mind wearing, and pulled it over his head. "I would've figured he'd be feeding you onions for breakfast, and making you write essays about the benefits of using armadillo bile in a potion as an extra-curricular activity."

"Not really, he's actually treated me better than I've ever been treated at home," Harry said angrily, suddenly standing up from the bed, having a sudden desire to get out of the room.

"Woah, woah, Harry...are you okay? I didn't mean anything offensive," Ron said, surprised at Harry's reaction.

Harry took a deep breath and counted to 10 before speaking again. "Sorry Ron...it's just that...me and Snape have come to a truce. And since I'm living with him, I don't really feel like hating on him anymore," Harry said softly.

Ron was silent for a second, but Harry saw his nod out of the corner of his eye. "I understand," said Ron. "Look, I'm sorry."

He doubted that Ron really understood, but he turned around with a smile. "It's okay, Ron," Harry replied. "Hey, let's go downstairs, your mom is probably pacing waiting for us."

"Yes, let's go," Ron said, relieved. As they made their way downstairs, they ran into Hermione and Ginny. As they were all walking down, Hermione took a look at Harry's face. "Are you okay, Harry?" she asked, seeing that he seemed to be off in his own world.

"What? Oh yeah, I'm fine, don't worry about me," Harry replied. Hermione looked at him for a couple seconds more, but decided to let it go for the time being.

Harry wasn't sure why he'd gotten so frustrated. He shouldn't expect Ron to understand what happened the past two weeks between Harry and Snape. It's not like Harry adored the man, anyways. There was just something...what did Harry call it...a truce? Or maybe some type of camaraderie he had built up with him? Either way, something had changed in the relationship between the two of them, something that Harry couldn't entirely understand. Snape was Harry's caregiver for the past two weeks, Harry told himself. Something was bound to change a little bit. Getting food on the table, being treated properly...yeah, that was it. Harry shook the thought out of his had with this reassurance.

The house seemed quiet, for one that was supposed to host his birthday party. He followed his three friends into the kitchen, where he saw the lights were dimmed. Suddenly, the lights burst to life, and Harry heard a burst of voices shouting "Surprise, Harry!"


	18. A Difficult Conversation

**A/N:** I really can't believe I haven't been able to post a chapter in over two months. Life just gets in the way. I have two weeks of exams coming up, and then I'm finally free for the summer! Hopefully then I will have more time to write. Please bare with me during the times where I may not update as frequently as I like, I'm not abandoning this story! Always check my profile page for updates :)  
>Now, long overdue, here is the next chapter! :)<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 18: A Difficult Conversation<strong>

In the next second, Harry found himself being embraced by many different people.

"Happy birthday, Harry!" he heard Tonks voice say in his ear.

"My boy, you look quite put together this evening!" Dumbledore's voice said in its soft tone.

"Hey Harry, haven't seen you in awhile!" He heard Neville's voice to his right.

When he was finally given a chance to breathe, he took a look around the room. It was decorated brightly, streamers lining the walls, little party horns that honked whenever someone said Happy Birthday (Harry suspected the twins had something to do with those), party favors in front of each seat at the table. Everyone was there: the Weasley clan, including Bill and Charlie, Hermoine, Neville, Luna, Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Tonks, Hagrid, and even Dobby. Harry's eyes scanned the room, and his eyes fell on Remus Lupin, sitting towards the back of the crowd. Remus gave him a soft smile and a nod, and Harry smiled. Somehow, having Remus there made him feel better.

Harry's guests ushered him into the nearest seat, as the festivities began. The table was laid with various delicacies, and Harry didn't hesitate in filling up his plate. The pancakes were a thing of the past as he ate till he couldn't hold any more food in. He vaguely noticed that Snape wasn't among the guests at the party, and this realization slightly nagged at him, but he pushed it away as he enjoyed a conversation with Ron about how the Chudley Cannons were preparing for the next season.

The group had an enjoyable time opening the party crackers. Hermoine and Ron pulled one together, and out came flying a bunch of silver doves, with a top-hat that Hermoine placed on Ron's head, to his dismay. Harry and Ginny pulled one, and a whole group of mini quidditch players flew out. Ginny laughed, and Harry got lost in the sound of her laugh for a second, until Hermoine nudged him and gave him a humorous, knowing look, to which he scowled and turned away from her.

After all of the guests had had more than any of them could eat, the group split up, some of the adults going into the living room, while George rallied many of the teens to go play glow-in-the-dark hide and seek in the backyard. Harry pried himself away from the group, taking a walk around the house. He soon found himself sitting on the front steps of the Weasley's oddly-shaped, yet comfortable home. He put his head in his hands, looking out into the sky. The moon was a soft, glowing crescent, partly obscured by dark clouds. Yet, the stars twinkled brightly in the night sky. Harry looked towards where the star Sirius would be. He stared into the sky, to the star that fit so well with his godfather – the dog star.

"Harry," Harry was startled by a voice behind him. He turned around to see Remus standing behind him. Harry just said, "Remus" softly, turning back towards the stars. Remus came to sit beside Harry. He looked up towards the night sky as well, not saying anything for a few minutes. Finally, Remus softly broke the silence.

"Penny for your thoughts, Harry?"

Harry didn't answer for a moment. He sat silently, looking up at the sky. Finally, he answered, "Do you ever think about Sirius?"

Remus sighed. He contemplated for a moment. Harry didn't look into his eye, but looked down at the floor, waiting for his answer.

"I do, Harry. Everyday. As I do your father. They were my best friends, those two. We had more joyful moments than I could ever describe. Many of them often led us in detention," Remus chuckled, "but they were probably the best moments of my life. They accepted me...for who I was." Harry heard Remus' voice falter. He didn't say anything, allowing Remus to take a breath. "And they helped me through everything." Remus fell silent, looking back at the stars.

"I miss him," Harry said softly, almost a whisper, but Remus heard him.

Remus put his hand under Harry's chin, and lifted his face so that he could see Harry's eyes, the ones that were so much like Lily's. "I do too, Harry. Sirius loved you very much. And Sirius will always be here," Remus took his hand and pointed to Harry's chest. "In our hearts. So don't be sad that he's gone. Be happy that you had a chance, little as it was, to get to know him."

"It's not as easy as it seems," Harry said softly.

"Well, heaven knows it doesn't seem very easy, Harry," Remus said in a calm voice.

Harry chuckled, breathing a strangled sigh. "He was the only family I had, Remus. Or as close as family could get. He was willing to take me, loved me even before I knew him. To him...I seemed like his first priority."

Remus gave Harry a sad smile, laying a hand on his shoulder. "I know, Harry. And I know that it's hard. I want you to know that you can always come to me whenever you are feeling down. I know I am not family by blood, but I hope I can be to you what Sirius was, or close. You're not alone, remember that."

Harry smiled, a real smile, and enveloped his old professor – his friend – in a warm hug. Remus returned the hug, and convinced Harry to get up and join the rest of his party.

* * *

><p>It was almost midnight before Snape saw a flash of green light from the fireplace, and Harry was wobbling back into the living room. Well, Snape thought, at least he was able to stay on his feet this time.<p>

"Really, Harry, if you're going to track this much dust into my living room, you might as well have brought a present for me as well, like that old St. Nicholas that seems to be a big tradition among muggles," Severus said, marching Harry to the front door to shake off the rest of the dust. Harry chuckled at the remark, while Severus pushed him back into the house and marched him to the bathroom, throwing his clothes and a bath towel to him.

After Harry was relatively free of ashes, after taking a shower, he came back to the living room and took a seat on the couch, where he found a steaming mug of hot chocolate sitting across from him on the table. He picked it up, taking a long sip, relishing in the sweet flavour.

"I trust your celebration went well?" Severus asked, seeming to not pay attention, his eyes scanning a page in the book that was open in his lap.

"Yeah, it was fun," Harry replied, taking another sip. "It was really nice to see all my friends again." Harry put the glass down, leaning back into the couch. He was exhausted. He truly had had an amazing day. But he remembered something that had slightly nagged him. "Were you not able to attend?" Harry asked casually, but looking out of the corner of his eye to see Snape's reaction.

Snape glanced up at Harry, raising his eyebrows. "I had some duties I had to attend to regarding the beginning of the school year which is quickly approaching. Were you expecting me?"

Harry didn't necessarily know how to answer that. "Well...I guess I was just wondering." He couldn't very well admit that there was something about Snape not being there that tugged at him. Truth was, he couldn't really explain it himself.

The two sat quietly in the living room, Harry relaxing and drinking his hot chocolate, and Snape engrossed in his book. At one point, Snape stood up from his seat and left towards the hallway, leaving Harry in the room alone. He casually took the remote off the table, pressed the "Power" button, and started watching a muggle talk show that was on.

Harry didn't even notice when Snape returned, until Snape walked up to him and gestured for Harry to make space for him on the sofa. Harry moved, confused, but waited for Snape to speak.

"Well, I presumed, since it was your birthday...it would be appropriate to give you something..." Snape pulled from behind him an worn, rectangular box. Harry took it from Snape's hand, grazing his hand across the box. He slowly taking off the lid. Inside, he found a wand. It was not new, he could tell, but had the signs of a wand that had been used by a wizard for quite some time.

"This ...this was your mother's wand, Harry," Snape said quietly. "I found it shortly after her death. I've kept it all these years. Now...I think it's appropriate to give it to you."

Harry's eyebrows rose in astonishment, looking back down at the wand. He picked up, holding it delicately in his hand, examining the engravings, the shape...the box had the insignia of Ollivander's wand shop, one of the most famous wand-makers known. He sat there, staring at it, just absorbing the fact that this was his _mother's _wand. Harry was holding in his hand, probably the most prized and treasured possession of his mother's. His eyes started to fill with tears, which he tried to shake away. He was speechless. All he could utter was a quiet, "Thank you," to Snape, but even Snape understood that those two words of gratitude spoke volumes.

Snape gave Harry a minute of silence to be able to settle down his emotions, and then cleared his throat and said, "Now that you have had a day to refresh yourself and see your friends, I will have to ask you for a little favor."

"What type of favor?" Harry said quizzically, his mind still on the wand in his hand.

"It's not a favor from me, persay. It is a request from Professor Dumbledore. He wishes you to join him on a little excursion."

"What kind of...excursion?"

"Professor Dumbledore hasn't given me all the details. He will come by in the next day or two, and he will explain."

Harry sighed, not realizing why Snape would even mention it if he wasn't going to reveal the details, but he had learned long ago enough to not push him.

In fact, Snape was using this little change of subject to be able to dive into the next, more uncomfortable topic. Harry had thought the conversation was over, until Snape started speaking again.

"Look, Mr. Potter..." Snape usually tended to use his actual name these days, so he could tell something was off. "I know this may be an unpleasant topic, but this topic must be brought up eventually, and it is of necessity that it be brought up now. I need you...to tell me what happened that day that you ran away from Dumbledore's."

Harry's eyebrows rose in shock. He hadn't thought about that since...that day, really. When he had run away in anger from Dumbledore's house, he hadn't been thinking. And he could have very well been in the Dark Lord's clutches if Snape hadn't found him when he did.

"I thought...I thought we already talked about that before," Harry said, slightly short of breath.

"Yes, we did, however, that was a discussion left with very few details or facts to work with," Snape said, sternly yet keeping a calm demeanor. He understood Harry's reluctance towards the subject. "Can you tell me what happened that night again?"

Harry sighed, but forced himself to remember. "Well...it's like I said before..." Harry pursed his lips. "I felt a huge pain from my scar, and right when I fell off the swing, I saw... a shadow...and then you came."

"I see," Snape said slowly. At this point, Harry had his hands over his face, trying to shut out the memory. Snape lifted his own arms and removed Harry's hands from his face. "The Headmaster and I have discussed the events, and we believe we have a theory. Would you like to hear it?" Snape asked.

Harry took a second to breathe normally. He definitely wasn't behaving like a Gryffindor at the moment. He put his arms to his sides and nodded.

"Alright," Snape said, choosing his words carefully. "Now, we believe that the shadow you saw...was the Dark Lord. In fact, we believe that he knew of your whereabouts that night."

"But how?" Harry asked. They weren't doing a really good job of protecting him if the Dark Lord had known where he was going to be before HE even knew about it.

"We are not sure about that. But we do believe that he had a source that is...assisting him..."

"A source?" Harry felt like a fool for asking so many questions, and he saw Snape give him a slight eye roll. This made him slightly smile, to see Snape's regular self once in awhile.

"We believe that...Lucius has been assisting him."

Harry had the urge to shout "What?", but did not want Snape to stop talking to him out of irritation, so he held his tongue. However, he did manage to ask, "But what makes you guys think it was Lucius?"

"Think about it, Harry! He found the two of us in Paris. That was definitely not a coincidence. I am not sure how, or why, but I believe that he is following you somehow."

This realization scared Harry more than anything. He remembered the fear he had felt when he had ran into Lucius Malfoy in Paris. Now that he thought about it, there really was no explanation for how he had randomly popped up in the same cafe as him.

"So...what are we going to do now?" Harry said softly.

Snape sighed. "We both need to be cautious. Be careful of Draco this term. You can never be sure if he is involved with his father's doings as well. I will speak to you when we have more details of what the Malfoy family might be up to."

"Alright then," Harry said. He was always very wary of the little twerp, that wasn't going to change this term, definitely.

"As well, Mr. Potter...do you remember our Occlumency training last year?"

Harry flinched at the memory of those painful sessions with Snape every week. "Yes..." Harry replied warily. Where was he going with this?

"I believe we should resume these training sessions for the duration of the summer holidays."

Harry had to stop himself from opening his mouth in surprise. He didn't know if he could handle any more of those sessions-from-hell, as he liked to refer to them.

"Do not be alarmed, Potter...Harry," Snape said. "I understand that I was harsh last term, although your reluctance to learn and your retorting attitude did not help very much...I assure you that these Occlumency sessions will go about more efficiently and calmly then our previous sessions, as long as you cooperate with me."

"But Vo – the Dark Lord hasn't tried to tap into my mind. I mean, I haven't felt him," Harry tried to protest.

"That may perhaps be, however, it is rudimentary that you protect your mind against him in case he does decide to use that connection again. Look at what he caused last year." Snape hadn't realized what effect his words would have until he saw Harry's face take on a pained look, and he hid his face away from Snape. He sighed. He forgot that the boy was still mourning. He put a hand on his shoulder, a little uncomfortably, rubbing little circles with his thumb. "I apologize," he said softly.

It took him a minute to answer, but Harry finally replied with an "It's okay." And Harry actually meant it. He knew, maybe for the first time, that Snape did not mean anything insulting to Sirius by those words, as he was so much used to.

"As I was saying..." Snape tried to get past the subject on Harry's mind. "I believe it is imperative that we continue, atleast for the summer, in trying to get you to accomplish Occlumency."

"Alright, Professor Snape," Harry said, agreeing to cooperate. He had to admit, Snape was probably right. A little bit of preparation couldn't hurt.

Snape was quiet for a couple of seconds. He then replied,

"Call me Severus."

He stood up, took Harry's glass, that he had finished during the conversation, and walked towards the kitchen, leaving Harry confused and without words. Had Snape just told him to call him by his first name? Harry knew that if there was one thing Snape took pride in, it was decorum...which definitely included referring to him by his last name, as a sign of appropriateness. Harry wasn't really sure if he could ever get used to using the name "Severus", or even if he could say it a first time.

Harry shook his head. This relationship that the two of them were seeming to develop was getting much more complicated than he had expected. Then again...he wasn't sure if he didn't like it.

As Harry was getting ready to sleep, he could hear the soft melody of the piano wafting from the hallway, a melody that softly lulled him to sleep.


	19. A Glimpse Into the Meadow

**AN: **So, I'll be using "Severus" now, instead of Snape, since Harry will now be using his first name throughout the story. I love your reviews guys! Keep writing, trust me, I read EVERY one of them, even though I may not get the chance to reply to you guys. It's honestly your reviews that inspire me to write more, so please, keep reviewing! Love you all, hope you enjoy the next chapter, I enjoyed writing it!

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><p><strong>Chapter 18: A Glimpse into the Meadow<strong>

The next couple of days passed by uneventfully. After a full day of hanging out with his friends, he realized how much he actually missed them. Severus left him to his own devices, while he paced around the house, flicking the TV on from time to time, grabbing books from Severus' library to try and read, even trying to work on his summer homework...but he couldn't help being restless. He longed to be in a house like Ron's, where there was always something to do and always someone to do it with. After the third day of this, Severus became restless as well, and gave Harry some chores to do. He spent the better part of that afternoon cleaning windows, dusting cupboard, washing floors, and all sorts of miscellaneous chores. The extra work had the desired effect that Severus had hoped for – when Harry had finished his chores, he collapsed on the couch, exhausted, and fell asleep. Severus shook his head, muttering a spell that opened the window beside him, and left to go do some more preparation for the next Hogwarts year.

A couple of hours later, Harry woke up, a sound disturbing his peaceful sleep. He groggily opened his eyes to find Severus setting a plate of chicken-noodle soup in front of him. Harry, with his stomach slightly grumbling, gratefully took the bowl and slowly sipped some of the noodles from his spoon. Severus sat down on the sofa, relaxing into the comfortable cushions. He took a sip of his soup as well, and spoke, "Harry, seeing how antsy and agitated you have been, I believe a good use of your time and a distraction would be to commence in our new Occlumency lessons, wouldn't you agree?"

Harry sighed. He had to have expected that Sna – well, Severus, now – would throw those darned Occlumency lessons on him eventually. He wasn't really sure how those were going to go, but he had wary ideas, seeing as the ones from last year didn't go very well at all. Granted, the relationship between him and his professor had changed, he wasn't sure if the Occlumency lessons would bring out the ugly side of Professor Snape again.

* * *

><p>"How could you be so daft, Potter?"<p>

It turned out that the Occlumency lessons didn't start off very well at all.

After only a half hour of Severus trying to forcibly penetrate Harry's mind, and Harry struggling to push him out, Severus was becoming easily frustrated. Harry couldn't find the opportunity to bring up that Severus had never actually TAUGHT him how to block him out of his mind. It's as if Severus just expected him to...KNOW it.

"I'm not!" Harry said, anger struggling to rise through his composure. "But you're not even telling me how to block you! I have no idea what I'm doing!"

"I've told you countless times! Close your mind! Control your emotions! For a Gryffindor who's faced the Dark Lord countless times, I would think you're a master at that."

Harry closed his eyes and took a long breath, trying to stifle the urge to throw a curse at his Professor.

"Try it again!" Severus said, his voice raising. How could the insolent boy not understand? It wasn't rocket science!

"Would you just – " Harry was cut off as Severus threw a spell, once again attempting to penetrate his mind. He struggled, as memories surfaced in his mind – Sirius during Christmas, seeing a pile of presents for him for his first Christmas, Sirius falling through the silver veil...

"STOP," Harry shouted, finding himself on the ground.

Severus smirked. ''What's the matter, Potter? Had the strength to take on Voldemort full-blown, and now you can't even protect yourself from a simple Legilimens?"

Harry was frustrated. He hadn't had an encounter like this with Severus since last term. It's as if the bloody Occlumency lessons opened some old wounds between the two of them.

Harry had the urge to just yell at the man to calm down.

Severus just stood there, rolling his eyes at the boy's struggles. If the fate of the wizard world was on Potter's shoulders, than he wasn't sure if anyone should keep their hopes up.

"If you are under the impression that I will 'go easier on you', as they say, then you are sadly mistaken," Severus said impatiently, not in the mood for the boy's hesitance. He lifted his arms, preparing himself to cast the spell again. But just as he was uttering the spell, Harry steeled himself, raising his wand and shouted, "Protego!"

_A flash of memories passed by Harry, and he knew at first glance that these were not his. A vision of a younger Severus, sitting by a tree, hand intertwined with a bright, red-headed girl, her head leaning against his shoulder...another of the same two people flying on brooms, both their laughs reverberating throughout the field that Harry distinctly recognized...another resurfaced, where the red-headed girl was shouting at a teenage Severus, and then running away, while Severus called out in desperation "Lily – wait!"...and image of Lily on the ground, her body still, lying on the ground while Severus shook her unresponsive body...eyes lifeless._

He suddenly found himself leaning against the table, his mind finally entering back into reality. He took one look into Severus' face, seeing it shocked and grief-stricken.

Severus, on the other hand, could barely get a hold of himself, not expecting the event that just occurred. He slowly stood, trying to get words to come out of his mouth. He barely had time to get a hold of himself before he saw Harry throw his wand to the ground, and run right out of the basement that they had been practicing in.

_Oh no,_ thought Severus to himself, as he half-ran up the stairs, expecting the front door to be ajar, almost anticipating how much he'd have to run to catch up with the boy. Instead, the door was firmly closed as it had been earlier. He stood still for a minute, catching his breath, when he heard sounds coming from upstairs. Knowing now that Harry was still in the house, he walked upstairs more slowly.

When he reached Harry's door, he found it slightly ajar. He hesitated, not knowing what had just happened, and having no idea how to approach this whole ordeal. He took a breath, forcing himself to put his hand on the doorknob, and opening the door. He found Harry sitting on his bed, facing away from the door. He was still, but Severus could see from the small distance, that his fists were balled up tightly. He walked in, trying to be silent, but he saw Harry flinch slightly, and he knew that Harry was aware of his presence. Living with the boy was making lose his Slytherin sneakiness.

He noticed that Harry didn't try to move or walk away, so he walked into the room, and set himself down on the bed. He sat there for a minute, silently, wondering if Harry would speak first. When he didn't, Severus broke the silence with one simple question: "What's wrong, Harry?"

Harry didn't reply, but just shook his head, his hands still covering his face. An instinct that suddenly came over Snape made him cross over to the other side of the bed, kneel down in front of the boy, and remove his hands from his face, breaking a small boundary between them. Harry didn't struggle, and yet he didn't look into Severus' face either. But Snape saw closely, the one lone tear that fell from Harry's face and onto his arm.

"Harry..." Severus said, strained, at a loss for words. "Talk to me. What is bothering you?"

"I – I just...I can't..." The boy sitting on the bed, head facing down, could not get himself to speak.

"Yes, you _can_," said Severus a little more forcefully.

"I _can't_," Harry replied in the same manner. He stood up in frustration, stalked past Severus, and began to walk away.

Snape stood up quickly and with a harsh tone to his voice, said, "_Don't _walk away from me."

"Why shouldn't I!" Harry burst out, much to Severus' surprise. "After what you put me through! I mean, it's like you just went back to being your old, _Professor Snape_ self! Like you'd gone back to the way you were last year! It's as if everything that had happened between us just..." Harry turned around, and in frustration, walked to the door and gave it a hard punch with his fists, resting his head against the door, trying to ignore the bounce of pain in his fingers.

Severus was silent for a minute, but instead of yelling out insults about how Harry was being an "immature brat who wasn't acting his age", like Harry had expected him to, he felt himself being lead by his shoulders downstairs. However, it wasn't as much of an aggressive touch, as it was a firm touch.

Severus set Harry down on the couch, and left him sitting there, while he left the room. Harry sat there in an empty silence, wanting to get up, and yet not having energy to move from his spot. He wanted to lie down, but he didn't want to make himself look weak in front of Severus, and just as well, because in less than a minute, Severus had returned with two mugs of hot chocolate in his hand. He sat down beside Harry, placing the two mugs on the table. Harry was surprised when Severus took his hands into his own, turning them over, checking to see if Harry had done any real damage to his hands. After this, he took one of the mugs and gave it to Harry, which Harry took slowly, still not saying a word.

"So, contrary to belief, punching a wall will not make you feel much better, and will only achieve in hurting and possibly breaking your fingers. So instead, we are going to sit here and talk." Severus said after he'd taken a sip out of his own mug.

Harry looked down into his mug of chocolate, not wanting to speak. He couldn't explain his feelings. He already knew he'd revealed too much back upstairs, in his foolish outburst. He was hoping Severus had been too surprised by the outburst itself, that he had not really paid attention to what he had exactly said.

He felt his chin being pushed up and he was staring into Severus' eyes. "You said something about how you felt like I had gone back to being my...old self?"

Damn it. He had heard.

Harry moved away from Severus' touch, a painful lump building up in his throat. Severus sighed. He put his hands on Harry's shoulders, causing Harry to unconsciously look up.

"Harry...were you looking forward to spending the summer with me when you first got here?"

Harry hesitated, not knowing whether this was a trick question, and whether he should tell the truth or not. But the deep look that Severus was giving him told him that he should be honest. He slowly shook his head. Severus didn't react.

"And now...how do you feel about me?" Severus asked softly.

Harry's eyes were wide with hesitation. How was he supposed to respond? He decided to just let his heart talk. "I feel...that you've changed. At least a little bit."

Severus nodded. "In a good way, I presume?"

Harry nodded. He looked down at his hands. It was true. Things had changed, and Harry would be a fool if he didn't admit it.

"In what way?" Severus slowly prodded.

Harry felt inclined to respond. "It's just..." Harry started to speak, not knowing where he was going, but felt like he had to say something. "Every summer I've had throughout my life has been...unpleasant." He saw Severus eyebrow raise at this, as if he could tell he was understating the complete horror of his summers back at the Dursleys, but he ignored it. "And for once...it wasn't. It was actually pretty great." Harry's voice was starting to become choked up, and he spoke slowly as to not show it. "And to see you go back so quickly to the way you used to treat me before...with that hatred... Was it just a temporary thing? Was it just so easy to go back to your old feelings about me?" His voice had suddenly become angry, but yet it had cracked at the very end, and he hid his face away from Severus, only because he knew Severus would not let him leave the couch.

Severus noticed the change in Harry's voice, the sudden anger that hinted in it.

If Harry was to tell the truth, he was becoming angry. How had he let this person, out of all people, start to affect him? How had he let him, one who had tortured him to no end the past 5 years, start to convince him that he could be okay? He wasn't accustomed to letting people get too close. He had only allowed few people to get close to him. He felt vulnerable, allowing himself to trust someone like Severus with his feelings. If he got down the depth of his feelings – he felt weak.

Severus tried to gauge how Harry was feeling but his sudden emotional change, and he tread slowly when he spoke. "Perhaps my old feelings were based on assumptions. Perhaps we didn't know eachother as well as we should."

Harry made a noise of disagreement, not looking back at Severus. "Then why did you seem to treat me the same way today?"

Severus didn't respond. It was silent for a couple of minutes.

"This is not the only thing that's bothering you, is it?" Severus startled Harry out of the silence. That was spinning the conversation in a whole new direction.

"What?" Harry said, feigning confusion.

Severus gave Harry a knowing look. "There's something else. Something about our little 'vision' that we just encountered...would you like to tell me what it is?"

Harry most very well did _not _want to tell him anything, but something about Severus' voice got him to speak. "Well..." Harry said with a tint of arrogance that he felt did not really hold, "My mother..." Harry did not mean to stop at those two words, but the painful lump in his throat grew to the size of a bowling ball, and Harry could not get a word out without risking breaking down.

Severus (rather painfully) went through all the memories that has resurfaced between them. It finally clicked. They were all memories of him and Lily in their younger days...however they very last vision...was one of him staring into the face of Lily's lifeless body.

Severus didn't know how to respond. Harry sat there, not looking into his face, hiding his eyes away from him. However, he did find his voice. "It was just...hard enough to look at that last image...I've barely seen many pictures of my mother over the past 5 years, and one of the few images I see of her is one of her being dead." Harry's breathing started to quicken as emotion welled up inside of him. "It's been so long since I had a parental figure in my life. Heck, I never had a parent in my life! Sirius is the only one who came so close to it. And now he's dead! And what am I supposed to do, how am I supposed to feel, when I don't have anyone there to care about my marks, take care of me when I'm sick, send me little treats and gifts during Christmas and my birthday? No one can under –" Harry was cut off as he was surprisingly enveloped in a hug. Harry was caught off guard, not knowing how to react.

"What –" Harry said in a choked voice. "...what is this for?"

"Potter, I don't think you've ever gotten a real hug of comfort, have you?" Severus said softly, keeping his hands wrapped around the teenage boy. He hesitated before speaking again. "It's...going to be alright."

Sitting there, enveloped in Severus' embrace, overcome with emotion, he couldn't hold back his tears anymore. He leaned against Severus' shoulders as he felt tears fall from his eyes, all the while, Severus didn't let go of him. He held him until the tears began to subside. Severus finally let go of him, putting his hands on Harry's shoulders. Harry wiped his eyes, trying to rid himself of the salty tears.

Severus spoke softly. "Try this," he said in a calm voice, as Harry looked up at his face. "Close your eyes." Harry closed his eyes. "Bring up an image of a peaceful meadow. Calm, serene, not a single sound to disrupt from the calm of the forest. Have you done that?" Harry nodded slowly. "Now imagine that you are lying on a hammock, right in the middle of the meadow, where a river is flowing softly from a small waterfall ahead of you. There is nothing to disturb you, nothing to bother you...nothing to hurt you. Is this in your mind?" Harry nodded again.

"Now keep this image in your head. Pretend that you are there right now." Harry didn't nod, but Severus knew that he had heard. Severus took out his wand softly, and with a sound barely above a whisper, he uttered, "_Legilimens._"

_Severus began searching Harry's mind, and as always, memories started to come to the forefront of his mind. Specifically, a memory of Harry, Hermoine, and Ron sitting in the Gryffindor common room, having a discussion that Severus was unaware of, laughing. However, after only a couple of seconds, the memory became foggy, and in the background, he could see a picture of Harry's meadow. The actual memory was there, but the fog of Harry's meadow made it difficult to recollect the memory. _

Severus cancelled the spell, and once he did, Harry opened his eyes. He didn't say a word.

"It's a start," said Severus. But this time, it was not an accusation. It was an affirmation.

Harry smiled slightly. Severus eyes softened as he looked into those green eyes. He remembered what he had said to Harry just earlier:

"_Perhaps my old feelings were based on assumptions. Perhaps we didn't know eachother as well as we should"_

Perhaps that's all they needed. But he knew Harry hadn't forgiven him yet. Severus knew that he had damaged the relationship in some way. He didn't want it that way. He told himself that he wanted to be in good relations with Harry for Lily. And he knew that was definitely a part of it. But deep down in Severus' heart, he was determined to get the boy's trust back, for something more._  
><em>


	20. An Old Friend

**AN:** So this is one of those chapters where things are adapted from canon. In the actual book, Harry is sent to the burrow after the visit to Slughorns', but obviously, I have changed this part of the story quite a bit :p It's not the only thing that's been changed, ofcourse, but I find it a little more noticeable. So here we enter more of the Alternate Universe, although I do try to keep canon as much as possible. I'd really like this to seem as if it COULD be canon, if Severus and Harry had developed the relationship that they are developing in this story. It's sort of a mix between canon and alternate universe. Enjoy! :D

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 19: An Old Friend<strong>

Severus worked with Harry for the next few days, slowly improving his Occlumency skills. It was not an easy task, but Occlumency was not an easy task in itself. The difference now, was that the two of them were much more willing to work together. Severus was much more patient, which in turn, made Harry more willing to listen.

Through this process, a bond seemed to form. Harry didn't really understand what it was. Severus just excused it as a professional apprentice bond. It was perhaps that they were able to tolerate each other in such close proximity. The whole of Harry's stay with Severus, they had not had such close, intimate contact for long periods of time.

They never really discussed it, though. In a way, Harry and Severus were quite compatible with each other. None of them were huge talkers or discussers. It made life a lot easier for them at that point. Because at that point...none of them were really sure where they stood.

Severus felt something was nagging at Harry. He'd grown to notice the look in Harry's face when he had something bottled up inside of him. However, he wasn't going to force the boy to tell him. He would tell him in his own time, if he chose.

* * *

><p>It was the second week of August. Harry had been at the piano, practicing a couple of pieces of sheet music that he had found laying on the piano. Severus was in the kitchen, chopping up vegetables for lunch. Harry didn't usually play the piano, but there were a few times that the large, black instrument invited him, and Severus never brought attention to it, but left him to peruse through his sheet music while, sometimes (which he would never admit), listening to the melodies that the boy played.<p>

He heard a whisp of air from the fireplace, and a flash of bright green light emanated from it. Severus put down the vegetables and his knife, and went to the fireplace, where he saw none other than Remus Lupin's face appearing through the bits of coal.

For a slight second, Severus wished that he had brought the knife along with him.

"Why hello, Severus!" Lupin said with a delightful tone, very similar to one that Albus liked to take on.

"What do you want, Lupin?" Severus muttered.

Lupin's face darkened a tone in reaction to Severus' response, but he tried not to show it. "May I talk to Harry, please?" Lupin said calmly and politely.

Severus contemplated for a moment. He didn't really want Lupin's head to be anywhere in his house any longer, but it wouldn't really do any good if Harry knew he had turned the man away. He sighed. "Harry, would you come here please? There's someone who wants to speak to you."

When Harry entered the living room, his face lit up when he saw his old professor's face. "Remus!" he said, and Remus smiled. Snape scoffed, but left to go back to his vegetables. He wasn't intending to listen, but his mind wandered to the two speaking in the living room.

"Hey, Remus, how are you doing?" Harry asked, leaning in front of the fireplace.

"I'm doing alright, Harry, how are you doing?"

"I've been okay," Harry replied. Remus sensed that Harry's answer wasn't very enthusiastic.

"Have you been getting letters from your friends?"

"Oh, yes, I have. Haven't seen 'em too much though since the party," Harry replied sadly. Ron was supposed to have come over the day before, but the Weasleys had planned an unscheduled trip.

_It's alright, mate, we'll be back next week, then we'll play a whole__ round of Quidditch, okay?_ Ron had said through firecall (he found it was almost equivalent to a muggle telephone, in a way). Harry had acted as if it was fine, but Harry was looking forward to actually getting to spend time with his friends. Hermoine was assisting her parents that week, as they had needed her help with organizing some financial files (who would've known that Hermoine had some muggle accounting experience?).

"Well, Harry, I might have something that'll cheer you up!" Remus said brightly. This caught Severus' attention, and he listened in a little closer.

"I was thinking, would you like to go somewhere with me some time? Maybe a trip to Hogsmeade for the day? I thought we could have some time to catch up, and you could tell me about your plans for next year." Remus said.

Harry hesitated for a moment. He glanced at Severus, and was surprised to see Severus staring at him.

Remus saw his hesitation, realized the cause of it, and then added, "If it's alright with your guardian, of course."

Severus was stuck. On one hand, he didn't want that darned werewolf in his life in any way, even if it was through Harry, however...he took a good look at Harry, thinking of all that he lost. He knew that Remus was a close friend of Harry's. He couldn't just turn him away... no matter how much he wanted to.

Severus sighed, and replied grudgingly, "It's your choice, Harry. You have my permission."

Harry's face looked distressed for a moment, not knowing whether he should accept the offer. But after a few seconds, he turned back to Remus and smiling, he said, "That would be great, Remus, thanks."

Remus smiled back. "Alright then, I'll owl you with the details. I leave you two to your devices. See you soon, Harry!" There was a flash of green, and Remus' face was no longer in the fireplace.

Harry got up silently, walking back to the piano. But as he passed Severus, he whispered a quiet "Thank you" towards Severus.

Severus didn't reply, but when Harry was back to playing his melodies in the other room, he smiled a barely noticeable, but soft smile.

* * *

><p>Harry has just returned from a very interesting evening with Professor Dumbledore. He had just gone to see one of Dumbledore's old colleagues, Professor "Horace" Slughorn. Honestly, Harry hadn't an idea of how the visit was going to go. Especially after he heard Severus' reservation against it.<p>

Harry wasn't supposed to hear Severus' opinion, of course. He just happened to be coming out of his bedroom, hearing the two men arguing. And … maybe he had happened to stand in the hallway, silently hidden, as the argument ensued.

"_I can't believe you, Albus."  
>"Why ever not, dear boy?" Albus said as he leaned into the sofa.<br>"Don't play these games with me," Severus scoffed.  
>"Why Severus, I thought we had an agreement on this matter." Dumbledore was ever calm, so calm that Severus wanted to throw a pillow in his face...if the idea wasn't childish.<em>

"_Why are you stringing the boy along with this? Can't you find another way?"  
>"You know very well why I'm bringing Harry with me. What is your real concern, Severus?"<br>Severus breathed a hard sigh. "All this time, all this work we put in...and you're dragging him into the depth of everything?"  
>"There's really no other way, Severus. Believe me, if I knew, I would do it. You do believe me, don't you my boy?" Dumbledore sighed sadly.<em>

_Severus didn't have a reply, and turned around, facing away from Dumbledore. Dumbledore did not say a word, but remained silent, as Severus composed himself._

_"Fine." Severus said after a__ minute of silence. "But you better know what you're getting into. You better know what you're getting the BOY into. Think of Harry."__  
><em>_"I do, Severus...I always do." Dumbledore's voice faded away, but a sad sigh could be heard in his voice at that last se__ntence.__  
><em>_  
><em>Suffice to say, Harry didn't have the very best impression of this visit.

Harry had pondered over this argument, trying to decipher every little meaning. After a while of tearing his brain out, he decided to leave it at that. If no one had told him anything…he was going to leave it alone, for once. Somehow, Severus arguing on his behalf seemed to make him feel a little safer, and protected. He shook his head at the thought – Harry going soft on Severus? Where was the world coming to?

After Harry had turned, with a comforting speech from old Dumbledore himself, telling him not to worry, and that things would become clearer during the year, he came inside the house, to Severus sitting on a chair in the living room, reading a Potions Journal. Harry had become accustomed to this image of Severus.

"How was your visit, Harry?" Severus asked, as Harry passed by him into the kitchen.

"Alright," Severus heard Harry answer from far away. Harry returned to the living room with a plate of cookies and two glasses of milk. He set one on the table in front of Severus, and sat down on the couch, placing his own glass and the plate of cookies on the table.

"You assumed I wanted milk?" Severus said as he looked at the glass on the table.

"Lucky guess," Harry replied. "You seem to like milk, by the way you drink it all the time," he smirked.

Snape shook his head, but picked up the cup and take a sip. Sometimes it was scary how the boy seemed to notice small things like that about him.

"Now, would you like to tell me how your visit went?" Severus said.

"Oh, yeah," Harry shrugged. "It wasn't anything big, really, Dumbledore seemed to make it a bigger deal than it really was. We visited one of his old colleagues, and he was trying to convince him to come and take up his old post at Hogwarts. Apparently he was intrigued by my fame and status…" Harry shook his head. "I don't even know what post he's taking up. He doesn't seem the type to be able to handle Defence Against the Dark Arts –"

"Potions," Severus replied quite abruptly.

"What?" Harry said, surprised.

"Professor Horace Slughorn is taking the post of Potions Professor. It was his old post back when he used to teach at Hogwarts."

"Potions…" Harry said slowly. "Hold on, that's your post though. If he's taking Potions…what are you teaching?"

Surprisingly, Severus smiled very softly. "That will come in time, Harry."

Harry gave a small pout. "You sound like Dumbledore, now."

Severus chuckled. "I guess the man rubs off, doesn't he."

Harry nodded, his mind on another thought. "Speaking of Dumbledore, there was something I noticed."

"Yes?" Snape answered.

"Well, Dumbledore's hand….he always wears a white glove on one of them. And once, I got a glimpse of his actual hand….and it was a shriveled, black colour. But he wouldn't tell me what was wrong with it."

"Do you wish me to confide in you something that Dumbledore has clearly expressed disinterest in telling you?" Severus said, in a soft scolding tone.

Harry shrunk into the couch. "I just wondered…it makes me worried about him. He also doesn't seem…at his best right now. He used to be so much stronger. I know he's getting older…but it's as if it's a sudden change." Harry's voice faltered at the end.

Severus was silent for a moment. Harry could see a look of distress…or more like a tint of hopelessness … in his eyes. Harry looked away for a moment, feeling as if he was intruding. He heard Snape breathe hard.

"Listen to me, Harry. You're right to say that Professor Dumbledore is not at his best. The truth is…he has been affected by a curse. A dark curse at that."

"But –"

Severus held his hand up. "Allow me to finish. The curse is affecting him. He is getting weaker by the day, and he may not have much time left."

Harry was dumbstruck. How could this be? Dumbledore….the greatest sorcerer ever…always been by Harry's side from the start of his Hogwarts adventure…about to die?

"Wh….when?" Harry said, his voice choking.

Snape looked down, his eyes closed. "I cannot be very sure. It doesn't help that Dumbledore is pushing himself to his very limit. I am not going to give you a time frame, because I do not want that to be in your mind. And," Severus said, putting his hands on Harry's shoulders, causing Harry to look up into his dark eyes. "This means that you must listen to what the Headmaster says, and you must be haste about it. He might ask you for things that you will not understand at first, but you will soon come to understand them. Do not question him…" Severus stopped for a moment.

"However, if you find that you are confused about something, and the Headmaster cannot explain it to you, come to me…you must understand, Dumbledore may be all powerful and wise, he may sometimes miss little things while….looking at the bigger picture. If you need to talk, you come to _me. _Understood?"

Harry nodded silently. He didn't respond. He had no words in him to express how he felt. Scared? Nervous? Hopeless? … Hurt?

So instead of asking a question about what Severus had said, or asking more about Dumbledore's state, he asked, "Severus…are you sure you're okay with me going to Hogsmeade with Professor Lupin?"

Severus' eyebrows rose. He hadn't expected that question. "He's a friend of yours, Harry. Why are you asking me permission?"

"Well, you are my guardian….well, not officially, but you are technically my guardian for now…I thought it would be proper. I know he was a part of the Marauders, so…"

But Severus had picked up on something else he had said. The way he had said…

"…_Well, not officially, but you are technically m__y guardian…for now…."__  
><em>_  
><em>Severus leaned towards Harry, but he wasn't looking into his face.

"You do understand that I could not officially be your guardian, right? It wouldn't do well to have my name written as your guardian on a ministry scroll."

Harry just looked at his hands. "Ofcourse I know that," he said with a little force to his voice. And I mean, McGonagall's a great guardian."

Harry took his glass, barely drunk from, and said "Look, it's been a long day. I'm going to go to bed. Goodnight." He did not wait for Severus to reply, but walked into the kitchen, poured the milk in his glass into the sink, and walked down the hallway to bed.

Severus sat there, still staring down the hallway, distressed. He could never understand Harry.

He looked at the table, and saw the plate of cookies. Harry had not even taken one from the plate. Severus picked one up, and bit into it, a sad feeling in his heart.

Harry was hurting, Severus could tell. And he wasn't sure what to do about it.

And what was scarier was...that Severus wanted to do something about it.


	21. Protect Him With Your Life

**AN:** The plot of this chapter is quite similar to a suggestion I got in my reviews…it was actually pure chance that my next chapter was already going to follow that very suggestion, I found that pretty funny :) Hope you guys enjoy! Reviews always appreciated :)

PS: I've been toying with the idea of a sequel. I'm not sure how many more chapters this story will go, but it will soon end, and I have always been planning on writing a sequel. What do you guys think? Motivation helps :D Just putting it out there!

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><p><strong>Chapter 20: "Protect Him With Your Life."<strong>

Harry was in his room, getting ready for his outing. Remus was coming to pick him up any minute, and he had just had enough time to finish his breakfast and to be ushered by Severus to his room to pick something out.

Harry was excited to be able to spend some time with Remus. He hadn't got a real chance to spend time with him, even at his birthday party.

Severus, however, was quiet during breakfast. Harry didn't push him, because he knew Severus wasn't ecstatically pleased about the situation. Harry didn't dare bring it up during breakfast, but remained quiet as well, as he ate the plain, scrambled eggs that he had made.

Severus was sitting on his sofa when his doorbell rang. Raising an eyebrow, he went over to the door to answer it, although already expecting that behind it, Lupin would be standing there, a small, timid grin on his face.

"You used the door?" Severus questioned speculatively. "Why not the floo?"

"I felt this was more…appropriate," Remus answered politely. Severus just sighed, opening the door to let him in. Remus stepped in, following Severus, who led him to the main living room after he had closed the door.

Remus stood just in the entrance of the hallway for about 10 seconds before Severus said, a little sarcastically, "Please…sit."

Remus took a seat on the couch, while Severus went to the kitchen to make some tea. Remus looked around the room, at the vast library of many different kinds of books. Remus chuckled. Severus had always been the boy with his head in a book. He wasn't surprised that this followed him into adulthood.

Severus came back with two cups of tea, setting one down in front of Remus, and sitting on his favourite chair, with his own cup in his hand.

It was silent for several minutes, the only sound to be heard was the sipping of both of their teas.

Remus broke the silence. "How is Harry doing?"

"Fine," Severus said reluctantly, taking another sip of tea. Severus didn't look at Severus, and Remus eyes went down to his cup of tea.

"You know…." Remus said softly, after another minute of silence, "I'll take good care of him."

"You'd better," Severus answered, a little hostily. "You'd better be ready to risk your life for him."

Remus paused for a second, slightly startled. But then he nodded slowly, as Severus didn't dare to look into his face. "I know. And I am."

Suddenly, Severus stood up quickly. "I'll go get Harry." As Severus walked away, Remus slightly shook his head sadly.

Severus knocked lightly on Harry's door. "Harry? What's taking you so long?" He opened the door, to find Harry just putting his shirt on. "You don't want to keep your guest waiting."

"Yeah," Harry answered, buttoning the last button on his shirt. He looked up. "I'm ready."

"Good," Severus said, walking up to Harry. "Now, I want you to stay safe. Don't do anything foolish with that Gryffindor mind of yours."

Harry smiled. "I know." He said. As an afterthought, he added, "Thank you."

Severus nodded, a blank look on his face. However, Harry could see a hint of emotion in his eyes, a hint that he couldn't necessarily place. Severus placed his hand on Harry's shoulder, and let him out of his room, down the hallway, and to the living room where Remus sat waiting.

Harry's mouth turned up in a big grin as he saw Remus. "Remus!"

"Hello, Harry," Remus returned with a bright smile, as Severus stood as patiently as he could, waiting for them to continue their reunion away from his house.

"I don't want him back too late," Severus said, as they were walking to the door.

Remus turned back and smiled softly. "Would never think of it. Have a good day." Harry turned back and gave a small wave to Severus, as the two stepped out of the house, closing the door behind them.

Severus stood staring at the door for a few more seconds, giving a sigh, and turned around, walking back to his room. He hoped to be able to get a head start on the new potion journal he had been meaning to read.

* * *

><p>"How've you been, Remus?" Harry asked as they walked away from the house on Spinner's End.<p>

"Oh, been better, been worst," Remus said. "Order's been tight lately. Scrimgeour has just taken up his post."

"Scrimgeour?"

"The new Minister of Magic" Remus answered softly.

"What?! What happened to Fudge?" Harry said surprisedly.

"Sacked." Remus shook his head. "No one trusted the man anymore. He'd been hiding what Dumbledore and the Order had been trying to say for almost a year now."

"So what's he doing now?" Harry felt a little sorry for the man, even after all the trouble he caused. No one wanted to believe that Voldemort was back…

"Oh, he's working as an assistant to Scrimgeour. Not the best position to end up in, assistant to the Minister of Magic, when you _were_the Minister of Magic, but apparently he requested it. It may be his only way to stay connected to that part of his life. He keeps in contact with the Muggle Prime Minister, which Kingsley has been so conveniently assigned to for his own protection."

"Oh…." Harry said. He'd been more out of the loop then he'd realized. "Well, I haven't kept up with the Daily Prophet much over the past couple of weeks. You know, too much….news in them."

Remus chuckled slightly at Harry's choice of words. "I would say." Remus replied, looking up towards the sky, which had a few clouds floating over a bright blue sky. "Been a little crazy, hasn't it?"

"I'd say that's an understatement," Harry muttered, kicking a rock as they were walking down the road. "So many lies, so many interpretations…"

"Don't give a mind to them Harry, they're just looking for something that they think will keep readers interested and make them feel as if they have a handle on the situation." Remus sighed. "The truth is, no one has a real handle on the situation. Not at the moment anyways."

Harry looked up at Remus with a sad look on his face. "Well, I hope you have been alright…" His voice faltered at the very end, and Remus looked down to see an almost hopeless look in Harry's eyes.

Remus smiled and ruffled Harry's hair. "I'm fine, Harry. You worry too much about others. Today, I want to take your mind off things, and hopefully spend some well-deserved time together that we never had."

Harry smiled. "I'm glad you invited me, Remus."

They had reached an abandoned alleyway. Remus held out his hand, and Harry, knowing what to expect, grabbed his hand, and they disappeared.

* * *

><p>By the middle of the day, Harry and Remus had been walking through Hogsmeade for a couple of hours. They had visited Honeydukes, where Harry, out of his better judgement, bought a pack a Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans. Harry had been lucky enough to find a peppermint-flavoured one, while he laughed at Remus' disgusted face as he put an ear-wax-flavoured one in his mouth. They visited Zonko's Joke Shop, where Harry purchased Sugar Quills that he knew the Weasley twins would love. They even passed by the Shrieking Shack…although they didn't stay staring too long, as he could tell the tension coming from Remus at the memory of the place he was forced to go during his transformations every month during his time at Hogwarts.<p>

They passed by a store that Harry had never really noticed on his many trips to Hogsmeade: Dominic Maestro. It was a small music store. Remus agreed to take a glance inside, and they both walked into the story, a small *ding* from a bell at the front of the door signaling their entrance. Inside, Harry found many types of instruments – however, they weren't the types of instruments he was accustomed to seeing. Clarinets and saxophones that played themselves, a portable grand piano, and a one-wand orchestra (Harry couldn't get it to utter a sound for the life of him).

As Harry was just about to leave, there was something that caught his eye. Just at a first glance, he knew that he had to buy it. And he knew just what to buy it for.

After that visit, they made their way over to the Three Broomsticks, where they had a rest from all the walking.

"Two Firewhiskeys, please!" Harry had exclaimed as a waiter came to take their order.

"More like two Butterbeers," Remus had shook his head.

Harry shrugged. "If that's all you can get me," Harry said as the waiter chuckled and walked away with their order.

* * *

><p>An hour and a couple glasses of Butterbeer later, Remus and Harry were both walking down the streets of Hogsmeade. It was only 4 o'clock, but they were already growing tired. As tired as he was, though, Harry could not have been happier. He had never had any real bonding time with Remus, and considering that he had been more-or-so stuck in Severus' house for the past few weeks, it felt nice to go out and <em>do <em>something.

Remus turned around, stopping Harry in his tracks. He put a hand on his shoulder. "So, what do you think? Had a fun day?"

"The best," Harry replied, smiling. "How about you?"

Remus smiled back. "Even better."

Harry grinned. He was about to continue walking, when Remus kneeled down in front of him.

"Look, Harry, I think this is a good time…I have something I want to give to you."

Harry was confused, but he didn't have to wait long. Remus reached into his coat, and pulled out a shimmery, gold chain from his pocket. The sunlight glinted off the thin chain, and it took Harry a few seconds to realize that there was something attached to the end of it. At a closer glance, he discovered that it was a locket. There was a crest etched on to the front of it, and, squinting his eyes, he could make out a small word: _Potter_.

Remus, a more solemn look on his face now, slowly pressed a little button on the side, and the locket clicked open. Harry's eyes widened as he saw that there was a picture in the locket. It was a picture of him as a child, with his parents.

It wasn't a picture he had seen before though. In this picture, his dad stood on one side of him, while his mother stood on the other. Harry was in between them, but he was not standing. He was being carried into the air by his parents, who each had an arm grasping his. They were wearing winter gear, and Harry could just make out the outline of snow in the background. Harry took the locket in his hands, gazing at the picture, seeing the happy smiles on each of their faces.

Remus took one of his hands, placing it over the picture in the locket. He closed his eyes, and he swept his hand over the picture, while whispering, _"Revello."_

When his hand was no longer on the picture, Harry's face was in shock, as he saw that the picture had changed. It was now a picture of the three maurauders: Sirius, Remus, and his father, James (thankfully, Wormtail was not present). Remus had a soft, gazing smile on his face, while Sirius had a galiant smile on his, as if someone had just told him a wonderful joke. He looked at his father's face, and he could see pure joy. Pure joy at being surrounded by his closest and truest friends.

"It's…your dad's. It's a locket that he used to wear all the time. He gave it to me for…safe-keeping." Remus said slowly, looking up towards Harry's face. "The locket is a family heirloom of his. I believe, that if there was one thing that he could have passed on to you….it would have been this."

Harry didn't say a word. He couldn't say a word. Because in his silence, he was trying to hold back tears. He took the chain from Remus, running his hands over the crest on the locket, which he now realized was his family's crest, and put the chain over his neck, tucking the locket under his shirt.

"Thank you, Remus," he said, his voice choking slightly over the words.

"You're very welcome, Harry," Remus said. "I know everything is hard on you right now, and I know that you may sometimes feel alone or like you have no one to talk to. Just remember, if you ever feel like you are in need of a chat, of any kind….I'm here. You can't understand…You're as much of a nephew, or a son, as you were to Sirius, and even to your own father. I care about you, Harry."

Remus was about to say more, but he was suddenly enveloped in a big hug. He returned it, a warm embrace that made them both feel safe.

It was then that Harry truly realized what Remus was going through. He always knew that it had been hard for him for the past few months, what with his last true friend being killed, and his struggle with the order. Many times, he must feel alone too.

"You are as much of an uncle, or a father, as anyone could be as well, Remus," Harry said, standing up straight.

Remus laughed. "I'm glad to hear, Harry. Now, let's say start heading back home, what do you think?"

"If we stop for another Butterbeer on the way?" Harry said jokingly.

"We'll see," Remus chuckled.

As he was just standing up, however, a bright flash of red flashed right between Harry and Remus, just barely missing the two of them.

Remus stood up alarmingly, looking around him to see where the flash had come from. He drew out his wand, holding it out in front of him. He grabbed Harry's hand, and they took a few steps, Remus scoping out the area. Harry drew out his wand too, for safe measure. Suddenly, a flash of blue came straight towards them.

"Protego!" Remus shouted, as a magical barrier came up to block the two from the attack. He saw Harry's wand out, and pushed it down, saying, "Don't worry, Harry, we don't want to have to deal with you getting expelled, now do we." Harry put his wand away, but has his hand just over it, still wary.

A shout came from the other side of the street, as several flashes of spells shot straight across. People started to notice the attacks now, and panic rose in the air. There was a group of people running in the opposite direction of where the attacks were coming from.

"Come on Harry, let's get out of here," Remus said tersely, keeping hold on Harry's hand, while they started to run. By now, there were flashes coming in different directions. They ducked under a store sign as they broke into a run.

There were now people running out of stores, trying to escape the chaos. Harry and Remus were moving at a fast pace, until Remus felt Harry's hand let go. He looked over worriedly, and found Harry on the ground, head bent over, and a hand at his chest.

Remus leant down to him, asking in a panicked voice, "Harry! What's wrong?! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Harry choked out, his hand still at his chest. "Just a spell that hit me pretty well."

Remus pulled Harry up, and supported him as he tried to regain his balance, coughing. Harry held on to Harry's shoulder, but said, "Really, Remus, it's fine." He let go, standing up on his own. He felt like he was relatively fine. He wasn't sure what spell had hit him, but it didn't seem to have lasting effect on him, as far as he could see.

"Let's get going Remus," Harry said, and Remus snapped back to attention. He furrowed his brow.

"Look, we're not going to be able to get away from this in time. Grab my hand."

Just before Harry grabbed his hand and they apparated away, throughout the many flashes of spells flying around the street, he looked towards the direction where a number of spells were flying. He saw, just behind a corner of an alleyway, a wand pull back, and a flash of blond hair as the person ran back towards the darkness of the alley.

* * *

><p>Severus was turning a page of his journal, when he heard a tap at his window. He turned around to see a post owl at the window, a rolled paper tied to his feet. He walked over to the window and opened it, letting the owl fly in through the opening. Severus untied the paper from his feet, placed a knut in the little pocket that hung around its neck, and left it to fly away into the evening sky.<p>

He unrolled the_ Evening Prophet_, glancing across the first page. After only 10 seconds of reading the main story, however, he tensed up, the paper crumpling in his hands. He let the paper fall onto the floor, a bile of anger rising up inside of him.

On the front page, was a bold headline that read: **HOGSMEADE ATTACK – THE BOY WHO LIVED: TARGET?  
><strong>

The picture that accompanied the headline, was a picture of Harry fallen on the ground, a hand on his chest, coughing into his other hand.


	22. You Promised

**AN: **...I can't begin to explain how bad it is that I haven't posted a chapter in two months. I've just started university, and it's been really difficult to get used to the workload, the one hour commute, the stress...I've barely had time to breathe! xD. I'm starting to even out, and getting a better handle on time management skills. That said, I can only say that I will try my best to update at least once a month, and if I happen to run into extra time, maybe earlier! It's a nice break from studying... my Christmas break is coming in a month and a half, so I will have more free time then! Anyways, I hope this chapter can serve as compensation for the hiatus...it's not too long, but I hope it will get you guys back into the story! Appreciating your support :)

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><p><strong>Chapter 21: "You Promised"<strong>

_Severus couldn't get his bearings. He wasn't sure where he was. He turned around, his wand out, slowly walking. He wasn't even sure if he was actually in a room. He heard a voice, a small voice, whimpering… "No…please don't…"_  
><em>Severus turned suddenly towards the noise, and he was shocked to see Harry backed up against a wall, with none other than Bellatrix Lestrange holding a wand towards him, drawing closer.<em>  
><em>Severus didn't care about his cover. He ran straights towards her, shouting, "Expelliarmus!" What he didn't expect, was for the spell to bounce off an almost…invisible wall, and shoot straight towards him. He jumped to the side just to avoid the spell. Severus stopped in his tracks, holding his hand out. To his horror, an invisible barrier stood in between him and Bellatrix. He stood there, panic-stricken, not knowing what to do.<em>

_"You promised to protect him…" A delicate voice danced around him. Severus' eyes widened in fear as he saw, turning slightly, a ghostly figure of a women with bright, red hair._  
><em>"Lily…" Severus said, his voice barely above a whisper.<em>  
><em>"You said you would <em>_**keep him safe**. You said you'd give **anything**."  
><em>_"But I am! I'm trying!" Severus shouted in pain.  
><em>_"You must watch over him, my boy. Severus, he is essential," another ghostly figure said, appearing at Severus' other side. Severus head whipped to his other side, where he stared into the face of Albus Dumbledore.  
><em>_"I could've done everything for him! I could've been like his father!" A third figure appeared, a towering figure, the figure of Sirius Black, a stare so cold that it could have broken glass._

_Severus closed his eyes. He couldn't listen to them, their voices swimming in his head. All he could think of was how to get Harry away from Bellatrix. When he opened his eyes, however, his heart dropped when he saw, that instead of Bellatrix standing in front of Harry, Voldemort was standing in front of him, a grin on his face. Harry's face was a mix of defiance and fear. Severus watched as Voldemort raised his wand up._

_"Avada Keda –"_

_"NO!"_

Severus jerked up suddenly, causing him a sharp pain his neck. Severus groaned, rubbing his neck. However, he couldn't get that jarring feeling from his dream out of his mind. He shuddered just thinking about. They say that dreams are just a manifestation of your subconscious….obviously his subconscious was struggling with more than Severus wished to admit.

He sighed, his breath shaking, just slightly, as he sat in his arm-chair, realizing that he had dozed off, for not too long. His mind wandered back to the horrid dream. He almost didn't want to think about it, but it was impossible for him to forget.

The first emotion that Severus could recognize was fear. Fear crept into his heart at the thought of Bellatrix's wand pointed straight at Harry. Being blocked by that invisible barrier. Being powerless, able to do nothing….just like on the night Lily was murdered…

He then recognized the guilt. Guilt, for not being able to protect Harry. Guilt, for allowing him to almost get killed. Guilt, for not being enough for him….

Severus shook his head. His thoughts just swam all over the place. He could still envision Lily's voice in his head…

"_You said you'd give…__**anything.**__"_

He was giving everything. He had given his whole life. For her.

However, during that one moment, the one moment where Lord Voldemort had raised up his wand, about to seal Harry's fate with one curse…his mind was not on Lily. It was on _Harry_.

He looked to the ground, and saw the crumpled newspaper still lying on the floor.

Ofcourse. It had been that drasted news article. Anger started to build up inside of him again. As if on cue, he heard a knock at the door. He slowly stood, grabbing the newspaper off the floor, and walking stiffly towards the door. He was angry. And he surely had a mouthful he was about to dish out.

* * *

><p>Harry gasped as they landed on the ground. His hand was still grasping Remus', as they took a second to get their bearings.<p>

"What was that?!" Harry said, his breath hard.

"I'm not sure, Harry, but whatever it was, it seemed like it was planned." Remus sighed, looking up towards the sky. It was just starting to become dark. "Well, I apparated us back to Spinner's End. I guess it's about time I took you back."

Harry nodded reluctantly, not really in the mood to go back home already. Remus noticed Harry's quiet response, and he put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Don't worry, Harry, this won't be the last time we will spend time together." He smiled, and Harry smiled back, however, Remus noticed that it didn't seem to touch his eyes. He put his hand around Harry's shoulder and guided him back down the street.

Something nagged at Harry though. "Aren't you the least bit curious?" Harry questioned to Remus. "About why someone would suddenly decide to attack Hogsmeade, with no apparent target?"

Remus continued to look forward, walking at a steady pace, but Harry could see that his shoulders were tense. "Whatever the reason may be, Harry, we have nothing that may guide us to the motive of this attack. It is too dangerous to try and discover what the reason may be. If it has anything to do with us….we will know, soon enough."

Harry wanted to question further, but he decided to let it go. He had a hunch that the attack was not just a misguided miscreant trying to cause trouble. And he knew that Remus believed this as well.

They were very soon at Severus' door. Remus hesitated at the door for a second, but after a thought, went ahead and knocked at the door. It took only a couple of seconds before the door opened.

As soon as Harry saw the look on Severus' face, he knew there was trouble. Severus' had on a blank face, but Harry could tell, just from the furrow of his eyebrow, that inside, he was boiling about something. He had seen that look too many times from Severus over the past 5 years.

"Come in," Severus said slowly, leaving the door ajar, for Harry and Remus to enter. Neither of the two said a word, as Harry realized that Remus had most likely clued in on Severus' mood as well. Severus closed the door quite slowly, and as he turned around, Harry suddenly felt a bit afraid. He had not seen that look on Severus' since the last term.

"Now, it just so happens that I found an interesting headline in this evening's edition of the _Evening Prophet_." Severus said, with an unnerving calm demeanor about him.

Harry couldn't think of a reply. He was frozen on his spot. Even though none of this was his fault, he could feel some sort of guilt creeping on him. However, he had a feeling that the comment was not directed towards him.

Sensing this too, Remus, taking a breath, said slowly, "Well, you see…we ran into a bit of an … unfortunate situation."

"Unfortunate, hmm?" Severus replied, his eyebrow raised. "I think unfortunate would be a bit of an understatement, since it seems that someone could have been _killed_!"

Remus winced slightly at Severus' exclaim. "It was an un-foreseeable attack, Severus –"

"I _trusted_ you, Lupin," Severus said in a soft whisper, but it was more like a hiss. "I trusted you to take of Harry. I trusted you protect him with your _life._And what happens? You very well have him offed!"

"Now, Severus, just hold on there for a second…" Remus said, his hands raised in front of him. Harry could sense Severus' words getting to him.

"I should've known better than to let Harry go off with a bloody werewolf – "

"STOP." Both Severus and Remus were startled as they turned around to the source of the shout. Harry was standing there, fists at his side, a furious look on his face.

"How could you begin to blame Remus for this? We were just walking in Hogsmeade when a bunch of flashes of spells appeared out of nowhere. Remus DID do everything to try and protect me! And you're going around trying to blame him for an attack that he had nothing to do with?!"

"Harry…" Severus took a step towards him, his voice slightly weak.

An enraged look on his face, he burst away from his spot, running up stairs without looking back.

Severus just stood there in shock, not being able to react. Remus stood in his spot, not knowing what to say as well.

It was if all the rage just evaporated from Severus, leaving him faint. He slowly walked towards his chair, disregarding Remus completely, and sank into the chair, his head in his hands. He breathed out roughly.

Remus stared at him for a moment, and unexpectedly, he came towards the couch, sitting right beside Severus.

"Severus…" Remus said softly, slowly. "This is just Harry. He gets carried away. Don't be worried. He will get over it quite soon."

Severus didn't react at first, finally just giving a shake of his head. "…I never thought he would react like…I didn't mean…" His voice choked.

Remus, sighing softly, placed a hand on Severus' shoulder. "Give him time. He will come to terms, and he will understand."

Severus lifted his head up, turning his head reluctantly towards Remus. "…why are you trying to make me feel better?" Severus said softly, almost unbelieving. "Why would you want to comfort me?"

Remus pondered for a second. "Because…I understand," he said finally. "I understand your actions. And I understand why you got so upset….I understand how you care about him."

Severus didn't answer, just turning away from him. Remus took his hand off Severus' shoulder, and stood up.

"I had better be going," Remus said quietly, turning around to leave. Severus listen to Remus' footsteps walk towards the door, until he heard them stop all of a sudden. He looked up.

Remus turned back towards Severus. "You know, I never thought you were a truly horrible person….just one who lost his way." Remus smiled.

As Remus left, Severus leaned back in his chair, scowling. Darn that Lupin. He was always the fairest of the group of four. But for some reason, he couldn't be as angry as he was with him just minutes ago.

But he shook that off. He had a bigger problem to deal with. He stood up slowly, closing his eyes as he walked towards the stairs. He walked up them even more slowly, not knowing how to approach Harry, or how to even begin to apologize.

When Severus got to Harry's room, he knocked quietly. No one replied, so he knocked again. After not getting a reply for the second time, he slowly opened the door. He found Harry laying on his bed, fast asleep. Severus sighed, but he quickly noticed that something didn't seem right. He walked closer to Harry, and he noticed, that is face was unusually red. He put his hand against Harry's forehead – and was shocked at how hot it was!

Severus shook Harry's shoulder. "Harry….Harry wake up…."

"Mmmwhattt…" Harry said in a slur. He noticed that Harry's breathing was quite hard as well.

Severus went straight into action. He hustled back to his kitchen, opened a cupboard, grabbed a vial of pepper-up potion, and just as quickly, hustled back to Harry's room.

He slowly held Harry's chin up, saying softly, "Harry, open your mouth. This will help you feel better."

Harry opened his mouth slightly so that Severus could pour the potion in. Harry's eyes remained closed and he barely moved. Severus ran a spell to check his vitals. His temperature was 103 F, and it seemed to be increasing. Severus was shocked. No regular flu acted like this. Harry was absolutely fine a minute ago. Flus don't become this serious _that_quickly.

Severus leant down towards Harry, moving a stray, sweaty strand of hair from Harry's face.

"I don't feel well, Severus," Harry said groggily.

"I can tell," Severus replied, with a little amused smirk, trying to lighten the mood. Harry didn't open his eyes to see it however. "How did this happen? Were you feeling sick beforehand?"

"Spell…" Harry said faintily.

"What?" Severus said, with a worried edge to his voice.

"Hogsmeade…attack…spell…" Harry barely made it through those three words before his head went limp against the pillow, passing out.

Severus stood up frantically, taking out his wand and producing a Patronus. The silvery doe materialized silently beside him, and just like each time he saw the doe, he felt a little pang in his chest. He directed the doe to Remus Lupin, sending a short message:

_Come back. And bring Albus, and Poppy. Something is wrong. _


	23. A Word of Caution

**AN:** I was quite interested with the reviews I got from the last chapter. I'm sorry for the cliffhangers guys! I seem to have a thing for them. My updating schedule is getting pretty horrid, I have to apologize again :( I'm on my Christmas break right now, so I'm truly hoping to be able to get another chapter up in around two weeks or so, but I can't guarantee a solid update schedule at the moment :/ Just so you know though, I always pick up a chance to write whenever I'm free from the trials of life and assignments and exams. I try not to leave it for TOO long :p Thanks so much for still keeping up and for all the reviews, I read every single one of them. Thanks for those who regularly review every week, I've said it before, but I love hearing people's thoughts on the story and where they think it's going and what they like about it. So keep it up guys! Also, if you want a personal reply from me, make sure you have PMing enabled! Ran into one or two reviewers like that, so I couldn't reply to them. xD. Hope this chapter can compensate for the long update time :p Merry Christmas all!

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><p><strong>Chapter 22: A Word of Caution<strong>

Poppy took a wet cloth and wiped Harry's forehead, which was covered with beads of sweat.

"So let me get this straight," Severus said slowly. "While you were trying to escape from the attack, a spell hit Harry?"

"Yeah," Remus said sadly. "I was surprised that it didn't do anything. Just kind of knocked him off his feet. That's when I apparated us away."

Severus didn't reply, turning around to look towards Poppy treating Harry. Dumbledore was standing beside Poppy, a contemplative look on his face. Minerva had been in a meeting with Dumbledore at the time that Remus had sent Patronus message to him, and she'd quickly come along as well.

"How does it look, Poppy?" Severus asked, keeping a blank face.

"Well…" Poppy sighed softly. "He's still unconscious, and his fever is much too high for my comfort, but he's not in the worst condition possible. At least, not yet."

"What do you mean, not yet?" Minerva asked, staring worriedly at her.

"This is not like a flu I've ever seen before," Poppy said. "The pepper-up potion that Severus gave him doesn't seem to have done anything to calm down the symptoms."

"I just don't understand," said Remus, staring towards the bed. "I have never heard of a spell that can cause a flu, much less one like this."

"It's possible that it was a spell of someone's own creation," Severus said slowly.

"What?" Remus replied surprisedly, and even Minerva and Poppy turned towards Severus in surprise. Dumbledore, however, turned to Severus with a knowing look in his eye, understanding exactly where Severus was coming from.

"Yes, it is possible…" Minerva said, taking Severus' side. "But the question is, why? And who?"

Remus walked towards Harry, a look on his face that Severus could only describe as "agonized". Just as he had been staring at him for about a minute, Harry started to stir. Everyone turned around to see Harry's head slowly moving, and his eyes flicker open weakly.

"Wh-what's going on?" Harry said in a raspy voice.

"You've just got a bad case of a foreign flu, Mr. Potter," Poppy said softly, not implying any sort of immediate danger.

"I don't feel good at all…" Harry said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"I can imagine you don't," Poppy said soothingly, placing the wet cloth on his head again.

Harry leant back, closing his eyes for a moment, trying to get past the foggy feeling inside his head. It took him a couple of minutes before the memories came flooding back to him. Hogsmeade. The Attack. Getting back home. Severus and Remus.

Harry groaned softly, turning his head towards the side, his head slowly pounding.

Remus stood there, watching Harry's little conversation with Poppy. He came towards the bed, and knelt down in front of Harry, wiping a piece of his unruly hair from his face. "Hey, Harry," Remus said softly.

Harry opened his eyes slowly, giving a small smile at Remus' presence. "Hi Remus," he replied.

"How are you feeling?" Even Remus knew it was a silly question, and Harry chuckled softly.

"Well, I've been better," Harry said.

Remus didn't say anything for a moment. Harry could see the look of distress on his face, and put his hand on top of Remus', which lay on the bed.

"Remus, don't be upset," Harry said, squeezing his hand. "This wasn't your fault," Harry coughed slowly at the end of the sentence.

Remus smiled tiredly. "Thanks Harry. I hope you get well soon. I promise, our next time out will not be so….unexpected."

"Hey," Harry said in an amused tone, "when have I not run into something unexpected before?"

Remus chuckled. "I'm glad to see you're still the same foolish Harry." He ruffled his hair. "Well, I had better go. I'll come by and see you in a day or two."

Remus got up, bidding everyone goodbye with a small nod, and walked towards the door way. Before getting there, he passed right by Severus. He gave Severus a small nod as well, about to leave. He paused for a second, causing Severus to raise his eyebrows. It took him a second for him to be able to softly say, "Severus.."

Remus looked like he was about to continue, but Severus suddenly replied softly, "It's okay."

Remus looked surprised for a moment. He slowly nodded his head, and with a barely noticeable smile, left the room.

When Severus glanced back to Harry, he could see Harry's eyes closed, breathing slowly. He just stood there silently, as Poppy checked his vitals again, sighing.

"His fever has dropped, but by very little," she said, standing up and turning toward Severus. It was about 11 PM at this time. "Severus, I am going to give you a list of potions you should give him, which I will leave by his bedside, and instructions on how to follow if his fever goes up, or if he experiences spasms of any kind, and other crucial instructions." She gave a long, folded up list to Severus.

"Thanks, Poppy, I'll make sure to read it all," Severus smirked.

"You had better," Poppy said, her hand on her hip, waving her wand at Severus. "I'm entrusting Harry in your care!" She was smirking at the same time as well, however.

"Well, I guess we had better get going," Minerva said, securing her cloak on her. "I trust you'll be alright, Severus?"

"Yes, I'll be fine, thanks Minerva," Severus replied sincerely.

Dumbledore had said very little, just stood there and observed the situation. Severus glanced at him for a second, and saw that Dumbledore wore a blank look on his face. This was unusual for him.

Finally, as Minerva and Dumbledore were leaving, he turned towards Severus. "Everything will be alright, my boy. Just have faith."

Severus nodded slowly, not saying a word. And with that, the three of them left, leaving only Harry and Severus left in the room.

Without everyone else in the room, he slowly walked towards Harry's bed, pulled out a chair, and sat down beside Harry. Harry's eyes opened slightly as he felt Severus' presence beside him.

"Where is everyone?" Harry asked weakly.

"They left, Harry," Severus said. "It's just us."

Harry looked up towards the ceiling for a moment, before looking back into Severus' face. Severus' heart had a sort of sinking feeling as he looked into those deep, green eyes.

"Severus…" Harry started to speak. "I didn't…mean…"

Severus held up his hand before Harry could continue (it looked like Harry was having a hard time speaking as it was. "You don't need to say anything, Harry. I was way out of line when I spoke earlier. You see, I have a bit of a tendency to let my prejudices get the best of me…" Severus closed his eyes in slight shame...he wasn't used to apologizing for the words that he said. "And I had no right to speak to Lupin like that." He paused for a moment. "I apologize if I upset you."

Harry was silent for a moment, taking in his words. He started slowly, "It's just…Remus has been one of the few people who cared about my well-being. He was one of the closest friends to Sirius (A pained look came across Harry's face)….he's one of the only people who understood me. He cared about me, and not just as the Boy Who Lived – but as Harry, his best friend's son. And he really did everything he could to protect me. He wouldn't let anything hurt me, Severus."

"I know," Severus said quietly, letting Harry speak.

"And…I know that my father and his friends didn't treat you so well while you in Hogwarts…but you should know that Remus has never spoken an ill word against you to me."

Severus raised his eyebrow at that comment, and Harry smirked slightly.

"I'm _serious_, Severus."

"I never said you weren't," Severus replied, although he seemed to still have a slightly skeptical look on his face.

Harry chuckled, slightly coughing in the middle.

There was silence for a minute, neither of them knowing what to say. Severus placed his hand on Harry's forehead. "You're still quite warm…" he mused. He sighed, glancing at the list that Poppy had left for him. "I guess I should get started on reading this list." He stood up and walked towards the door, turning around just before left to examine Harry. "Do you need anything? I'll make some soup for us, I'm not taking a chance that you'll be able to hold down anything else but that."

"That's fine," Harry replied. "Hey Severus?" Severus looked at Harry, waiting for him to reply. "Thanks for taking care of me."

"No thanks is necessary, Mr. Potter…that's my job," Severus replied unusually, but Harry saw a smile on his face, so he smiled back, as he settled back into his bed. Severus had said that it was his job to take care of him…but he couldn't help thinking that this was more than just an obligation. At least, he hoped. Did he hope? Since when did he need anyone to take care of him? Then again, his head was starting to feel heavy…

* * *

><p>Severus awoke Harry later, a how bowl of soup in his hand. Harry muttered grumpily, "Leave me alone, I'm sleepy…"<p>

Severus rolled his eyes. "Unless you want to starve, you'll wake up. Or do you want me to think of other means of getting you up?"

Remembering the one time that Severus had poured a bucket of ice water on top of Harry to wake him up, he slowly sat up, stretching. He felt as weak as ever. He saw a table set up beside the bed, and two chairs on either side of it. He saw several vials of potions placed on one side, and assumed that this was his. He slowly slid off his bed, and barely caught himself, as his head was spinning.

"…perhaps it was a good idea that you woke me up now," said Harry, struggling to get onto his seat, all the while, trying to act as though he wasn't as dizzy as he was.

"Perhaps," Severus smirked, seeing through Harry's act. He sat down in the chair on the opposite side, another steaming bowl of soup sitting there. "Now, you are to take those vials before you start eating. I trust you can hold it up to your mouth without spilling it?"

"Ha ha, very funny." Harry shook his head, slowly downing in each vial, taking a couple of seconds to make sure that the potion (whatever potion he was taking) stayed down. After he had finished the 3 small vials, and his head started, very slowly, to settle down, he took his spoon and sipped on the soup, realizing that he was actually quite hungry. The soup has a lemony tinge to it, and it seemed to soothe his sore throat.

They sat quietly, eating, while Severus surveyed Harry carefully, watching to see how he felt. He noticed that a bit of colour was returning to his cheeks, which relieved him, because he had looked like the colour was sucked out of him just minutes before.

They were silent for about 5 minutes, when Severus finally broke it. "Harry, if I may, can I ask you a question?"

Harry looked at him quizzically, mid-sip. "Sure."

Severus cleared his throat. "I know you may not want to talk about it, but I was wondering if you could give me some more details on what happened during the attack in Hogsmeade…Lupin briefed me, but I'm interested in hearing things from your side."

Harry put down his spoon, taking a deep breath. "Well….I'm not sure what _Remus_told you (Severus rolled his eyes), but there isn't much to tell…we were walking down Hogsmeade when a bunch of flashes of spells starting flying throughout the street…we were trying to get away when one of the spells hit me…and then we apparated away." Harry paused for a second, trying to think. "The only thing I noticed was that someone with blonde hair disappeared around a corner, and there was a wand in his hand."

Severus looked up alarmingly. "Blonde hair?"

"Yes…." Harry said, looking speculatively at him. "What are you thinking?"

Severus looked down into his soup, not speaking. Harry waited, but noticed that Severus wasn't looking him in the eye. When he finally looked up, he said, "Look Harry, I want you to be extremely careful. There are dangerous forces out there, and I hate to say this, many of them do not want the best for you. Promise me you'll stay safe?"

Harry hadn't missed the fact that Severus had avoided his question, but Harry nodded his agreement. "Of course."

Severus nodded, taking his plate, which Harry saw was empty, and stood up to leave. However, Harry called behind him, "Is there anything wrong?"

Severus turned towards Harry, giving him a small smile. "Nothing of importance, no. However," Severus added, "I want us to start back with your Occlumency lessons."

Harry raised an eyebrow, and Severus chuckled as he noticed that he was beginning to rub off on the boy. " Are you feeling alright?"

"A bit," Harry replied. "I think those potions helped. I still feel dizzy though. And my throat is soar."

"Let's hope the symptoms don't escalate. Get ready for bed, I'll get you some water," Severus instructed, walking out the door, leaving a wary Harry still sitting in his chair.

This was very unusual. What had happened?

He knew one thing, that was for sure: Severus was hiding something. But what was it?

* * *

><p>Severus returned the kitchen, dumping his bowl into the sink, not bothering to wash it at the moment. He went to the living room, and sank into his favourite sofa, his head in his hands.<p>

This was all so complicated now. He wondered how he got in the middle of all this.

It was probably all those years ago, when he had sold his soul to Albus – saying that he would do _anything._

Maybe it was many years before that, when he had joined the Death Eaters.

But he didn't have time to feel remorseful right now. The only thought that rang clear in his at that very moment was…

…_why is he being so careless?_


	24. The Protection He Never Had

**AN: **This is overdue. I would say, months overdue. Sad to say, life had taken over all of my free time. As much as I had wanted to write, the time never came around :( But I am happy to say, I have COMPLETED my first year of university, and I am finally free! I am taking a summer course, but I will definitely have much more time on my hands. I plan to make up for the huge wait. I hope this chapter is a start. Thank you to all my faithful readers, I hope you enjoy, and please, leave a review! :D

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><p><span><strong>Chapter 23: The Protection He Never Had<strong>

Days passed by, but yet Harry's "illness" didn't seem to be fading. Every day, Severus became increasingly worried, as he found that the potions prescribed to him by Poppy were only setting him at peace for a little while, and yet it came back worse than ever. Harry was soon condemned to bed rest, which was extremely hard for Harry, considering that there were only a couple weeks left in the summer, and he was anxious to get out, to see his friends, to go outside and breathe some fresh air. But he didn't have the energy to stay standing for more than a few seconds before he started to feel faint.

During his days of bed rest, Harry spent the time away reading. There were few things you could do when you were confined to a mattress, but Severus had obtained some more Shakespeare books that he felt might interest Harry, remembering that he had been interested in "Macbeth" during his first few days at Severus' home. As much as Harry didn't mind reading, he wasn't an avid lover of it, and rose his eyebrows when Severus had set the books by his bedside.

Severus chuckled when he had seen Severus' reaction. "It is either this, or do your summer homework, Harry. You can choose which you would rather do."

Harry had rolled his eyes, but when Severus came to check on him later, he found Harry a quarter of the way through _Hamlet._ He smiled softly, closing the door.

Harry did not see Severus much over those couple of days. Severus did come and sit with Harry at the end of the night, giving him his potions, checking his vitals, and once in awhile, having interesting conversations about whether Hamlet's goals were noble and sane, or whether he truly turned into a madman throughout the entirety of the play. But yet, he didn't see much else of him.

Mme. Pomfrey was around quite a bit as well. She kept taking many different kinds of tests, many of which Harry could not even remember, and questions to Mme. Pomfrey were simply set aside.

On the third night of his bed rest, Severus came to Harry's room, as always. Harry was lying on his bed, eyes closed. Severus knocked on the door lightly, peeking his head into the room. "Are you asleep?"

"Not quite," Harry answered, opening his eyes and stretching. Severus came into the room, grabbed the chair by the desk that sat in his room, and sat down on it.

"Then why were you lying down with your eyes closed?" Severus said conversationally, setting a couple of vials on his bed.

"I don't know. Just thinking, I guess," Harry said softly, watching Severus. Severus dismissed Harry's comment for the moment. He could tell Harry's voice was quite raspy, and he put his hand on Harry's forehead. "Still quite hot…" Severus said, more to himself, getting out his wand and performing a spell to check Harry's vitals.

"You're not used to having to take care of someone sick, are you Severus?" Harry chuckled a bit.

"I've brewed quite a few spells over my time as Potions Master to deal with many different illnesses in fact, and I have assisted Mme. Pomfrey a few times when there have been an over-capacity of students in the hospital wing," Severus replied. "But taking care of someone specifically with an illness…no, I believe you are the first." Severus gave Harry a small smile. Severus placed all the vials on Harry's bedside table, and sat back as Harry sighed and downed the regular vials he had been required to drink for the past few days.

Harry noticed a different, larger vial sitting there. "What's this?" Harry asked quizzically.

"Well … me and Mme. Pomfrey have been working on a little project….this illness of yours seems to be persisting a little more than either of us would like. So we've concocted a potion that we feel might just help the problem."

Harry looked inquisitively at the vial, picking it up and surveying it.

"…you're sure I'm not going to sprout antlers or anything, right?"

Severus gave Harry an exasperated look, and Harry laughed. "Alright, alright." He put the vial to his mouth and drank it down in one shot. He choked slightly, causing him to cough and sputter slightly.

"Tastes horrid," Harry said as soon as he regained himself.

Severus smirked. "Sorry, did I not warn you?"

Harry shook his head, He put the vial down, about to lie down in his bed, when Severus held his shoulder and said, "Before you go to bed, can we try an exercise?"

Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Humour me," Severus said.

Harry sighed, slowly positioning himself back into a sitting position.

"Harry, forgive me for this, but I want you to try this Occlumency exercise. I know you're tired, but this gives you a chance to test out your own strength, as you might not always be in the best of mindsets when you need to block your mind."

Harry nodded quietly, waiting for Severus to continue.

"Close your eyes." Harry did as he was told. "Remember what you have learned so far?"  
>Harry nodded. Severus had told him that in the future, when he had built his mental shield stronger, he would have to work on channeling other, less threatening thoughts in his mind, in order to not reveal that he was actually performing Occlumency. But for now, he had to imagine himself in a scenario in which there was a state of peace. One where he could control his own thoughts. He envisioned himself on a broom: he was free-falling, looping throughout the fresh air, the sun shining brightly on him. He took a deep breath.<p>

"Do you have a vision in your head?" Severus said quietly. Harry nodded.

"Okay, now, I want you to open your eyes, without losing the vision." Harry opened his eyes, keeping the image in his head. Admittedly, it was a lot harder, with all the visions of his surroundings.

"When you are performing Occlumency," Severus said, "you will more than likely not have your eyes closed. You will have to have your eyes open, and be communicating. For the past while, we have been working with trying to strengthen your control and your own mental shield. Now, we will not have you try to communicate just yet." Severus shifted, so that he was facing Harry directly, looking straight into his eyes. "I want you to just stare at me right now. Just look directly at me. Try to block me out, while you have the distractions of the surrounding area weakening the vision in your mind. Can you do that?" Harry nodded.

"Okay." Severus breathed, looked directly into Harry's eyes, and whispered, _Legilimens_.

He could see the vision in Harry's mind. Flying. He should have figured. He could feel that it was weaker though. He had expected that. Not only was Harry slightly tired, but the distractions of the room certainly derailed his focus. He slowly prodded deeper, and he could feel the shield weakening and weakening. He was not planning to break the shield, but he did go a little deeper, trying to see how long Harry could hold his control,

Suddenly, without expecting it, he felt the shield break.

The image of the blue sky disappeared, and Severus was swept into a memory of Harry's. He could see a smaller version of Harry…he couldn't have been older than 6. He was running, a look a fear in his eyes. He was looking for a place to hide, but the house was not very big in itself. He tried to run upstairs, but suddenly, two boys came running from the corner and grabbed him, making Harry trip backwards down the first few stairs he had climbed.

"Think you can steal our candy, from us, eh?" One of the boys sneered as his friend had Harry by the scruff of his neck.

"Dudley…I'm sorry, I just, wanted to try for once…"

"Well, I'm _so_ sorry mum didn't give you any…been a naughty boy, probably. It's what mummy always says. Naughty boy, that Potter!"

This "Dudley" kid….he looked about the same age! His friend about a year older.

Young Harry started pulling at the hand around his collar. "Let…me…go!"

"Suit yourself, Potter!" Dudley nodded, and the other kid threw Harry into the wall. He hit the wall with a sound that made even Severus flinch. Harry remained crouched on the ground, holding is hand to his head, his arm slightly bleeding.

"And remember that next time you try to steal something from me!" he said, walking off with a smirk on his face, him and his friend laughing behind me, leaving Harry sitting on the ground.

Severus was, just as suddenly, swept out of the memory, back in his own home. His face still carried a slightly startled expression. Harry sat on his bed, breathing heavily, looking down.

"Harry," Severus struggled to speak. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean – "

"It's okay," Harry said quietly, still looking down. "My barrier was too weak. I know I need to get stronger."

They both sat in silence. For once, Severus was truly at a loss for words. But it was Harry who broke the silence.

"My cousin…he never treated me well," Harry said quietly. "I mean, we lived pretty much in the same house, like brothers, and what brothers don't fight?" Harry paused for a moment. "But, you know…it's not like Ron with Fred and George, where they fight, but they always make up, and the truly care for eachother. You know, he never liked me. Neither did Uncle Vernonn or Aunt Petunia." His voice choked. "Didn't do a damn thing wrong. Always played by their rules. But…it wasn't enough. There was no changing what they thought about me. To them, I was this weird, insufferable _freak_." Harry breathed a hard sigh. His voice wavered as he tried to continue speaking. "It's like…it's like I never belonged anywhere."

Severus, struggling, put a hand on his shoulder. "You're right Harry. You don't belong in that horrible, muggle house. You don't belong with those Dursleys, not a bit. You belong here." Severus stopped as he said this. "I mean….in the world you are now. With your friends, with Hogwarts. Here." Severus took his hand off Harry.

"You must be tired. If you want to speak with me in the morning, I'll be more than free to." Severus turned off Harry's lamp, and moved the back to the table, as Harry settled into bed. Before walking out the door, he said softly, "Goodnight." He met no response in turn as he walked out of the room.

The truth was, he wouldn't have been able to stay in that room much longer. Anger bubbled inside him. These insufferable muggles, Lily's own _SISTER_…how could they have done this?! He knew Petunia had been much of a brat in their younger days, but to go this far? He went into the living room to sit down, but the tears began to fall down his eyes before he even reached his favourite seat. The flashbacks of his childhood spun around in his head. The pain, the struggle, not being accepted by his father…he had _never _felt like he had belonged! And look at where it has lead him! To choose the death-eaters, somewhere where he had thought he belonged. Choosing the darkness, the secrecy, the danger, the hurt. And realizing all too late, how much of a wrong choice he had made. He was abandoned: a spy, still living in the darkness. He was a misfit himself.

He couldn't imagine Harry following the same path that he did.

In anger, he quickly apparated out of the house. He reappeared in the hallowed streets of Godric's Hallow, right in front of Dumbledore's house. He was considering storming into the house without warning, but before he had even reached the door, it swung wide open, revealing Dumbledore in a light red nightgown, with gold linings.

"Severus. What brings you here this fine night?"

"I am not in the mood, Albus," Severus said sternly.

"Well, come in then." Dumbledore held the door open for him as Severus walked in with hard steps.

Severus didn't even wait for Dumbledore to say anything. He turned right around on him, as Dumbledore had closed the door, and said in a stern tone, "How could you have let Harry suffer with so much all his life with his horrible uncle and aunt?"

Severus, as soon as the words left his mouth, saw Dumbledore's face suddenly grew sad. Dumbledore put a sad smile on his face. "You knew that he hadn't lived a very good life," he said calmly.

"Yes, but I didn't expect that he had been treated like a slave!" Severus burst out, startling even Dumbledore. "The boy didn't have a friend in the world! In the month and a half that I have been with him, I have discovered more than you have cared to admit to me for _15 years_!"

Dumbledore, for once, did not have any words to say. He was silent for a moment, slowly going to his couch, and sitting down. He breathed a sigh, looking up at Severus. "It was the only place that was safe for him Severus."

"Sure, that's what you say. That's what you've been saying all the time. Well, enlighten me," Severus' breath started to take a breathy tone. "How can a place where he is abused be safe for him? What kind of protection have these muggles given him that any wizard could not have provided for him? What kind of life do you expect him to live after everything that he has been through?!"

"Severus, you need to calm down," Dumbledore said, a slightly stern tone entering his own voice.

"I don't think I _have to do _anything, Albus," Severus said, his anger growing even stronger. "Did you even care about him? Were you really protecting him?"

"What about you, Severus?" Dumbledore answered. "Are you not just protecting him for Lily?"

Severus stopped for a second. He looked Dumbledore straight in his eyes.

"I'm not just protecting him for Lily anymore."


	25. A Trail of Broken Glass

**AN: **Hello all! For once, I was able to make this chapter in a month and a week. Hoping you guys enjoy the chapter, and as always, leave me reviews, I love them :D

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><p><strong>Chapter 24 - A Trail of Broken Glass<strong>

It was half an hour later. Severus was sitting down, a glass of Scotch in his hand, Dumbledore across from him, a cup of tea in his down. Severus' head was bent down, staring into his glass.

"I'm truly sorry, Severus," Dumbledore replied. "That was inconsiderate of me to say."

"And it was completely fair as well," Severus said, still staring into his glass. "This whole time, for 16 years, I had been protecting him only for Lily….although it's ironic to know that I never really had protected him after all."

"Ofcourse you did Severus," Dumbledore said, leaning towards him. "You have saved his life many times over his past years at Hogwarts."

"Perhaps. But how have I treated him?" Severus said slowly.

Dumbledore was silent for a moment, staring into the soft fire crackling in the fireplace.

"And you see…every year, he went back to that bloody place…he didn't even have a safe haven anywhere." Severus sighed. "I had always made his life a struggle, during the past five years."

Dumbledore spoke slowly. "And why is that?"

"Well…" Severus' voice got caught in his throat for a moment. "…every time I looked at him…he reminded me of James."

Dumbledore placed his tea cup on the table, and leant over to put his hand on Severus', who was starting to grasp his glass very tightly. "I hope you're starting to realize now that…he's not. He may be James' child…but he's _not James._"

Severus sighed, his breath wavering. "I know that. I know. You just don't understand how hard that was…to see…"

Dumbledore had a sympathetic look on his face. "My boy, I understand. Views don't change very quickly." Dumbledore put his cup down on the table. "However, I would have to say...I believe yours have changed, have they?"

Severus took another sip of his drink, the warm, alcoholic liquid running down his throat. He wasn't sure if the alcohol was calming him or making him more nervous, but due to his shaky breath, he figured the latter.

"Well, I am accustomed to barging into your house concerning insolent little students, aren't I?" Severus said sarcastically.

Dumbledore smiled softly. "Remember, Severus – inside you, you have goodness. You may have been a death eater before, but that does not define you now. Trust me, my boy, when I say that you are not like them."

Severus sighed, not being able to reply. He put his own glass on the table sharply, the liquid swishing, a drop landing on the table. He closed his eyes sharply, and when he opened them again, he was looking straight at Dumbledore.

"Just tell me one thing, Albus. And please tell me the truth." Severus was looking intently at him. "Do you actually care about Harry? Did you ever really care for him?"

Dumbledore looked at Severus, a blank look on his face. He turned his gaze towards the cup, silent for a moment. Then, looking back at Severus, he replied, "Yes, I do care for Harry. I always have, since I left him on Petunia's doorstep. You don't know how much it pains me to put him through all this…." He drifted off, looking at his cup again.

"I feel there is a 'but' in here somewhere," Severus said in a leveled tone, still looking at Dumbledore.

Dumbledore sighed, closing his eyes. "He is our best hope. He is our only hope, Severus. You understand that."

Severus' expression grew hard, an intense look on his face, when suddenly, he collapsed back into the couch, defeat registering inside him. He grabbed his glass and took a huge gulp.

"Well, he doesn't have to go this road alone," Severus said, looking down at the floor.

Dumbledore smiled a genuine smile. "I wouldn't expect anything less, Severus."

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><p>Harry rose in the morning, a sleepy yawn escaping from his lips. He sat up in his bed and stretched, feeling quite relaxed. He removed the covers from over him, and dragged his feet off the bed, stretching his legs and wiggling his toes. He stood up and went to the window, pulled away the curtains, and opened the window, feeling the light breeze come in. He closed his eyes and breathed in the fresh air. He was really starting to like this place. However, he just remembered, he had only about a week and a half left of the summer. He sighed as that realization came to him. He always loved to go back to Hogwarts. However this time…something was different.<p>

He shrugged the feeling off, rubbing his eyes and walking towards the door, feeling the hunger in the pit of his stomach.

Another realization came to him as soon as he thought of that – he felt hungry. He hadn't felt hungry since he had gotten the illness. And he had breathed in that fresh air properly.

He swallowed. Slightly scratchy, still, but the pain of his sore throat had most of all disappeared. Other than his head feeling slightly fuzzy, it felt almost like a miracle. He walked out of the hallway, and as he entered the kitchen, he heard the sizzling of bacon and eggs. And he could also _smell_ them!

"Hello sleepyhead," Severus said. "Decided to sleep in today?"

"Hey, it's only….10:30 AM." Harry claimed, yawning.

"You're going back to Hogwarts in less than two weeks," Severus said, taking the eggs and bacon off of the frying pan and placing them on to a plate. He turned around to the dining table, where Harry had already seated himself, and put the plate on the table, Harry's mouth watering at the delicious smell. "I think I should start waking you up at 7 AM, get you back on a regular sleeping schedule."

Harry groaned, as Severus chuckled. "Now why don't you get up and make yourself useful, and get some plates and utensils?"

Harry shook his head, but he was smiling. It was a comfortable morning routine. And he liked it. A feeling of emptiness nagged at him slightly, but he shook it off again as he rose out of the chair to help set the table.

* * *

><p>They were about halfway through breakfast. Harry was hoarding the bacon, drinking a cup of coffee, while Severus was calmly taking a sip of his own tea. He shook his head, watching Harry eat, but he dismissed it because Harry had not been eating much all week.<p>

"So what have you got planned for today?" Harry asked, mouth full of bacon.

"I'm not sure I understood you with your mouth full," Severus said reproachfully.

"Sorry," Harry apologized, swallowing his food with a guilty look on his face.

Severus smiled. "I have to start getting things ready for the new school year. And you," Harry rose his eyebrows as Severus looked straight at him, "Are going shopping for new school attire and materials."

"Really?" Harry said in surprise, putting his cup of coffee down. "Who is going to take me then?"

"Professor McGonagall will escort you to Diagon Alley to purchase some new robes for you, and to get you your new textbooks and supplies. I dare say your robes are getting quite short for your height. When was the last time you had new ones made for you?"

Harry shrugged. "Before third year, I think? I don't remember too well. It has been awhile. The last time, Mrs. Weasley made sure I had gotten new ones, but since then, everything's been a little hectic."

Severus' heart ached silently for the boy who didn't even have anyone to take him to get proper school robes when needed.

"Well, we will definitely make sure you have everything you will need, and that everything will fit properly too," Severus said. "Perhaps you might even meet Mr. Weasley and Mrs. Granger as well. How does that sound?"

"It sounds great," Harry smiled. "It'll be nice to get out…and also nice to see Minerva again."

Severus raised his eyebrows.

Harry put his hands up, a cheeky grin on his face, "She said I can call her that."

Severus shook his head, although chuckling slightly to himself. "Try to refer to her as Mrs. McGonagall during school hours, alright?"

"Okay," Harry said, taking his fork to get another scoop of bacon. He stopped suddenly as a thought came to him. "Wait, hold on…you had to have had this all planned out earlier, right?" Severus nodded. "But I was just about confined to my bed right up until last night! So how did you…?"

Severus smirked. "Confidence in my potion-creating techniques?"

Harry gave Severus a little jab across the table, and both of them laughed. But Severus could see Harry's silent thank you.

"And hey, since you seem to be feeling quite better now, I think, after you get back, is a great time to get started on the rest of your summer homework, young man."

Harry groaned again, and Severus laughed.

_I promise you. You won't have to go through this road alone._

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><p>Harry was in his room changing when Minerva arrived.<p>

"So, Severus, potion worked, as you expected?" Minerva said, smiling as she arrived through the floo.

"Am I ever wrong about these things, Minerva?" Severus joked.

Minerva gave him a reproachful look.

Severus chuckled. "Well, his symptoms are not entirely gone, still a bit of a scratchy throat and some dizziness, I've given him another dose right after breakfast. If he seems to feel faint or anything –"

"Don't worry, I'll let you know," Minerva said. "He's in safe hands."

"You know, you're perhaps one of the only people I can trust saying those words," Severus commented.

"Well I'm honoured," Minerva smiled. "Have you ever gotten down to the root of this situation?"

"It's complicated," Severus shook his head. "Whatever it is, it is no good for us. At all."

"Just relax, Severus," Minerva said calmly. "We don't really know anything yet."

"We know that Draco Malfoy attacked Harry and Lupin with an intent to do some good damage."

"We don't know what happened there, Severus," Minerva said, but from the look on Severus' face, she could tell that he was thinking that she couldn't even deny it.

"You two had better be off," Severus said. "I'll get the pack rat right now." Minerva chuckled as Severus walked towards the bedroom hallway.

He knocked on the door of Harry's room. He could hear a low mumble on the other side. "Don't make me drag you out of there, Harry." Just as soon as the words had left his mouth, Harry walked out, a smile on his face. He was wearing a white-collared shirt over a solid red shirt, with a new pair of jeans. He shook his head in dismay as he saw the turned up collar.

"If you want to be a gentleman, you might as well atleast dress the part," Severus said, turning down his collar as Harry rolled his eyes. Severus leaned down towards Harry. "Now I want you to remember, stay with Minerva, don't waste time, get everything you need, and – "

"– don't do anything foolish," Harry finished. Severus looked at him, a face he hadn't really _looked_ at for 5 years, and smiled.

"And stay safe," Severus said. "Can you promise me that?"

"Yes," Harry said, smiling back.

When Harry apparated away with Minerva, Severus wasn't so sure.

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><p>There were few days when the Malfoy Manor was rid of the wards of Death Eaters that felt like they had the entitlement to be there whenever they wanted to. But then again, with the way things were, I guess they did now. Atleast, under the Dark Lord's orders.<p>

But today, it was empty. Lucius stood in front of a large window, watching the sky grow darker. His hands were crossed around his chest, and he had a vacant look on his face, as he stared out into the setting sun.

He felt a hand lay softly on his shoulder. "Lucius."

He didn't answer, but the voice of Narcissa made him feel slightly calmer.

"What's wrong?" Narcissa said, in a soothing voice, putting her other hand on his other shoulder.

Lucius still couldn't speak. More so, he couldn't put his thoughts into words.

"All of them…Alecto, Amycus, Dolohov, Goyle, Yaxley….thinking they can come and just walk around the manor like they own it," were the first words to come out of his mouth.

Narcissa started to massage his shoulders, but it didn't help. He walked away from Narcissa, pacing away from the window.

"I know it's a bit of a mess around here…" Narcissa said softly.

"Around here? This whole thing is a mess!" Lucius hissed, causing Narcissa to draw back slightly.

He noticed her action, and he walked back to her, taking her two hands in his. "It shouldn't be this way. It wasn't this way. We were not made the scum of the earth. If it wasn't for the stupid Potter boy, none of this would be happening."

Narcissa didn't speak, but just held his hands, looking at him, a silent comfort.

"Now, that damned Severus Snape is at the Dark Lord's right hand, while we are barely escaping death at this moment."

"Now don't say that," Narcissa said, putting a hand up to his face.

"It's true." Lucius' voice was drawing to a hiss once again. "Since the Department of Mysteries fiasco…" Lucius couldn't find the words to say, anger heating up inside of him. "I don't know what's going on with Severus and the Potter boy."

"Whatever it was, I'm sure it was under Dumbledore's orders. You know the position he's in."

"I know that, Narcissa," Lucius said, frustrated. "However, I also know that the Dark Lord is unaware of this little situation. As the Dark Lord's main man, I believe this is something that would be very important to mention…"

"Lucius…"

A shadowed look came across Lucius' face. "What is he? A mere half blood who was lucky to get on his good side. I've been serving the Dark all this time! And up until now, I WAS his main man!"

Lucius was starting to become even angrier. "That Potter boy has caused too many problems, and now I find him and Severus together in Paris? And the way that Severus immediately found the boy and took him away…maybe Bellatrix was right in not trusting him." Lucius mused. "I think it's about time that the Dark Lord knew what was going on around here."

"Lucius, no." Narcissa said sharply as soon as Lucius had finished speaking.

Lucius gave her a dark look. "What?"

"Lucius, listen to me," Narcissa said urgently. "We don't know what's happening. And right now, we can't afford any mistakes." Narcissa voice was steady, staring straight into Lucius' eyes. "And he is the only one at Hogwarts who can protect Draco."

"I thought he made an unbreakable vow?" Lucius said, still in anger.

"An unbreakable vow is hard to keep if there are no means to. If he falls in the Dark Lord's eyes, and is sent away from Hogwarts, then he cannot protect him. _Your son_ will be on his own."

Lucius didn't speak, her words resonating in his head. He was furious. Furious that Harry Potter had him defeated and sent to Azkaban, causing him to fail his mission. Furious that Severus was now practically the Dark Lord's second in command, while the Malfoys were the laughing stock of the Death Eater crowd. Furious that his and his family's life was starting to come into shambles.

But he sighed in defeat. Narcissa was right. It was like a trail of broken glass. Every piece connected, in some weird, absurd way.

The two stared at eachother, hands held in eachother's, as the last of the sun's light set over the horizon.


End file.
